Baby Sister
by RiverdaleHales
Summary: When Jughead Jones discovers he has harbored feelings for his best friends, very much off limits, innocent & fiery little sister, things get a little bit... complicated? When word of their relationship get out to the rival gang across the river, Betty's life is threatened while the boys earn their bones. Can Betty & Jughead keep their secret in this heroic tale of bad boys girl?
1. Chapter 1: Pure Innocence

It was cold, late September came fast and as the brisk wind hit her legs and blew up her blue pleated cheerleading skirt, her body practically begged for a hot chocolate.

Betty Cooper could admit, she had always been one for dramatics. But at seventeen, wasn't everybody? The football game was drawing to a close and her shivers were enough to show just how defeated the whole school felt. The season was going so fast and the Riverdale Bulldogs record was not a pretty one. They had lost almost every game, but they always defended their state rank with their intense school spirit. She tried to sway her mind from the cold overwhelming her. But all she got was a reminder of the college applications stacking in her inbox and just how unprepared to was for the real world.

It didn't help that they were playing their arch rival, the Greendale Gators. Gator pride had seemingly thrown up on the town over the last week. With the threat of the big game, Betty thought she might hurl herself if she saw one more speck of _Gator Green._

She could hear the hoots and hollers from the crowd behind her and Betty couldn't help but pull her long white sleeves to her palms and rub her hands together, glancing to the stands. The field lights were blinding, their fluorescent quality adding absolutely no heat to the surrounding environment. She thought she could see her breath. In that moment, she regretted her decision to join the cheerleading team. She brought her fingers to her mouth to increase some warmth and almost instantly got a hiss from Miss Queen Bee captain, Cheryl Blossom.

"Pssst, Betty! Hands down!"

Betty rolled her eyes and sighed, dropping her hands. Did anyone actually know the harsh reality of being a cheerleader in forty degree fall weather? A strict rule from the Bombshell herself.

_**4\. No cheerleader may move or speak (unless spoken to from upper hierarchy) during any game or event, unless instructed otherwise or during the halftime break.**_

Betty recited her squad syllabus in her head, or cheer bible as the girls called it. It was a book of rules to live by and by God did she rebel against them any chance she got.

Suddenly a large buzzer nearly vibrated the ground at her feet, signaling the final score of the game. Betty had been too focused on the numbness of her fingers to realize that the clock had run out. They lost, of course, feeling defeat once again. They performed their final cheer anyway, with a semi lack of pep and extra rout. Betty tightened the pony adorned on top of her head and quickly snatched the bow away in the process, she hated the damn thing with a passion. She quickly jumped into her cheer warmups, in an attempt to secure any heat to her body.

"Are you going to Jobeys party?" A too perky Josie McCoy spoke suddenly. Betty nearly jumped backwards, the question startling her still mandatory still and quiet state.

"Um… I think so, but I'm gonna have to sneak out first."

"Your still grounded?" Josie asked, securing her blue and yellow duffle to her shoulder. Betty stuffed her pom-poms into hers, grabbing her phone from an inside pocket before zipping it quickly. Josie and Betty had been best friends since they were kids.

"Two more weeks…" Betty explained. "Mom's sticking to it pretty good this time."

"You're an idiot from getting caught though, you did it to yourself."

"Blah blah, the details of my disobedience aren't important."

"You didn't need to jump that fence; you know you only did it to prove a point."

"The point is my brothers a snitch and I should have seen it coming. This conversation is over." Betty laughed and starting walking down the track with Josie.

"Do you think Chic's gonna be there tonight?" Josie suddenly asked and Betty shrugged.

"Probably. My loser brother and his friends have nothing better to do then go to high school parties I guess."

"I don't think anyone cares, he's hot!"

"Josie!"

"What?" Josie laughed. "It's true! I would never, but he is nice to look at."

"Oh my God…" Betty muttered quietly.

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"I'll text you." Betty said quickly. "Is Jess going?"

"Is that even a question? She's probably already there macking on Jobey before the crowds barrel in."

"Crowds?"

"Of course. You know he always has the best parties. His parents are literally never home, not like they'd care anyway. But his house is insane, and he's got a fake. Big house and free booze, that's all anyone needs to hear and their just well, there."

Josie was right. Michael Jobe, or Jobey as everyone knew him as. He was the towns senior of the century and seemingly had a huge ragger every weekend. The typical jock was cocky and honestly an asshole, but the free booze sealed the deal and had him sleeping with almost every girl in the senior class. Betty had never been _lucky_ enough to grace the glorious presence of the Master Jobey himself, but she had wiggled her way into a couple of his parties and if tonight's was anything like the previous, she knew she'd be an idiot for missing it.

Josie opened her trunk, her light gray modern model being way too predictable for a northside teen. She threw her duffle into her car while they laughed over some inside joke and giggled at something stupidly funny.

"Do you want a ride home?" Josie prompted.

"I think I'm gonna walk, actually."

"Betty it's past ten, and dark, and cold! Let me drive you."

"It's okay Jos," Betty tried to console her.

"I saw you shivering during the fourth, Betty c'mon."

"I'm okay now that I have actual clothes on." Betty said with the roll of her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Jos."

"Okay, text me if you need a ride to Jobey's. I'm headed home to change and then I'll be on my way there." Josie muttered, getting into her car. Betty smiled and nodded securing her bag to her shoulder as she began her walk.

Chic Cooper, twenty and a disappointment at best. Betty loved her brother because she had too. The man? Boy? Being… had barely finished high school and still found it necessary to hang around high school parties. He always stank of old leather and cheap cigarettes and always came home late with no explanation and no plan to come up with one. He slept with lots of women? Girls? Beings… It was no secret that her problematic sibling was promiscuous and a trouble maker, understandable with his upbringing.

It wasn't a long stroll. A couple of blocks at most and honestly it gave her alone time that from time to time she desperately needed. She had lived at Sunnyside Trailer Park her entire life, well since she was 4, but close enough. A two-bedroom trailer combined with a family of four, cramped and smothered didn't even begin to cover how she felt occasionally. She waved to Josie who exited the parking lot of the field with a honk and contemplated calling her sister.

Polly, her sister, had been lucky enough to get into NYU, full scholarship. Single parent household plus a four-point two grade point average equaled big charity money. She had always been destined to make it out of the southside and wanting more than their mother could ever give them, gave Polly a drive and a fire that no one could've put out. When she started applying for every scholarship imaginable, Betty thought she was crazy. But when she started to actually receive said scholarships and awards, the money payoff had Betty realizing just how smart her sister actually was.

Now twenty and a sophomore at NYU, Polly rarely came home unless for Christmas or Thanksgiving and even then, it was like pulling teeth. And while Betty did miss her sister, she knew coming back to Riverdale, even if just for a holiday break, the town might just swallow up her overachieving sister. It was best that Polly didn't come home often, it was what she needed and frankly, their mother needed it too.

Alice Cooper had always relied on the responsible big sister and nearly had a mental breakdown when Polly left for college. She depended on her much more than she realized, whether it be grocery store runs when Alice had to work double shifts or getting Betty back and forth from cheerleading practice and school. Polly matured fast, understandably so, but never okay. She hated to think of it as rebellion because who didn't want more than what their parents gave them, or parent in their case.

Alice Cooper had married her high school sweetheart, denying every statistic that your first love can't be your last. They had the kind of young love story that everyone envied and dreamed about. When she fell pregnant shortly after they tied the knot, Hal and Alice were ecstatic when they found it out to be twins. And even more when they learned it was a girl and boy. Polly and Chic had been three when Alice gave birth to Betty, a little girl that was seemingly wrapped around her daddy's little finger. But that all came crashing down right after Betty turned four.

Hal Cooper tragically died in a car crash, leaving a widowed Alice to raise seven-year-old twins and a four-year-old who only ever wanted her father. The comprehension was the hardest part of it all. Alice didn't know how to justify her husband's death to herself let alone her children. They were living in Pennsylvania at the time. Hal was running his late parent's town newspaper shop, Alice helping out when she could, but it was no secret that Hal was the bread winner of the family. They had barely any family, a few cousins and aunts and uncles but all from the Coopers side. Alice knew she couldn't support her family without help, so when her father reached out and said she could move back to New York she jumped at the chance.

Pappy Smith grew into their lives like he'd never left, never approving of Hal but never denying his grandchildren. He held stake in the Serpents and they never denied helping out their own. Their lives shifted so quickly it was like nothing had even changed. And yet everything had. The Serpents offered Alice a trailer and a job at the local hospital, the kids started school and when it shut down when Betty was in fourth grade no one dared to bat an eye at erasing of the seemingly drawn line between the north and south sides.

"Hey, Goo." A motorbike on the street slowed next to Betty.

_Goo. _

Short for Magoo- and a childhood pet name that she'd utterly grown to hate. But when your bald until the age of three and constantly scrunch up your lips into your nose and eyebrows, cartoon character nicknames are what you get, and boy did it stick in Betty's case. It was cute when she was little, but now she outright despised it. The words were like venom from Jughead Jones' mouth and Betty rolled her eyes instantly realizing his identity by his tone.

Jughead Jones. An enigma if one existed in her life. She'd known him since forever, her brothers' best friend since adolescences. They grew up in the trailer park together. Also, twenty and basically Chic's brother, Jughead Jones held such a mysterious and ominous quality that Betty had yet to dissect in all of her years of knowing him.

"Need a ride?" He muttered and she stopped.

"Not from you." She dug at him.

"Come on, I can't leave you out here. Your brother would kill me…"

"Well then don't tell him." Betty shrugged and began walking again.

"Goo, c'mon." He started walking with his bike. "Let me take you home."

"I am not getting on that death trap."

Jughead and Chic were well adverse in the motorbike world a seemingly cliché choice of vehicle for their not so secret life as gang members. They basic fell into the Southside Serpents ranks by birth. Jugheads father, FP Jones, had run the Serpents aside her grandfather since Betty could remember and while Jughead and his father's relationship was rocky at best, in Riverdale you can't deny your destiny. That's why she's so glad Polly got out when she did. Would she be so lucky? She didn't know. She did well in school, but not four-point two grade point average good. She tried her best, but with her mother's absence and Betty's strive for attention, she was notorious for getting herself into trouble from time to time.

"Betty," Jughead seethed.

"It's just a few more blocks, I'm fine Jughead." She tried to explain.

"Just get on the damn bike," He turned the corner of the street and blocked the crosswalk. Betty gasped at the sudden move and nearly jumped backward. "Please." He finished semi sweetly. She couldn't help herself, so she gave in and hopped on. He handed her his helmet and instructed her to put her bag in between her front and his back. Motorcycles were so complicated, _why would anyone choose this over a car?_ Betty thought, while Jughead flicked at gears and revved the engine underneath them. She giggled into his back at the showboatness of it all and thought about the pros to motorcycles.

Gas prices, the experience, speed maybe? She didn't exactly know.

She used anything to drift her mind from the feeling of her arms around his waist. She'd never admit it, but Betty had had a crush on Jughead since they were kids. Puppy love, she always told herself. But she still had yet to grow out of the canine comparison stage, and being on a bike with him, with her cheek nearly against his back, made it all the more real.

Odd, older, and _off limits_… three words Betty had always associated with Jughead. She never wanted to fall into the Hollywood cliché of "my brothers' best friend." But she could never help it. He never failed to erupt the butterflies in her belly with even the slightest touch of sweetness. He loved to write, this she knew, and only a secret they shared. She'd caught him one night, up late and typing away on a keyboard. He was working on a novel of some sort, and after a lot of poking and prodding as annoying little sisters do, Betty's trip to the kitchen for a late-night glass of water, turned into Jughead telling her about his hopes and dreams of getting published one day. He didn't let her read anything, promising that for another day. But another day never seemed to come, but boy did she wish it had. She found herself up and thinking about his writing for many nights following that. But she'd never told his secret to anyone, it simply wasn't hers to share. He was impossible to her, both literally and figuratively. They never spent any time alone, not for any certain reason she guessed, but it was a lie. After all, Jughead was still her brother's best friend and she couldn't help but think that he never saw her more than a little sister…

They drove a few blocks, as promised, and Jughead was quick to drop her off at her trailer, killing the engine. "Thanks," she huffed, handing him back his helmet, not wanting to give him any satisfaction.

"Yep,"

"Can you try maybe not being an ass?" She hissed, securing her bag to her shoulder.

"Ouch." He half-mockingly held a hand to his chest. "You going to Jobey's?" She didn't answer. "You sneaking out?"

"No," She lied.

"Liar." He read her and she laughed with a scoff. He flipped the bike back on and clasped the helmet to his head. "See you there." He nodded before driving off and Betty grunted audibly looking to the stars. The man was impossible.

The party was not disappointing in the slightest. Betty held a red solo cup in her left hand and glanced to the fresh gashes in her ankle. She'd tripped and caught it in a nice sharp thorn bush when she crawled and tumbled from the bathroom window. She'd hoped her mom would've been asleep when she got home so it wouldn't have resulted in her maneuvering her way around the vent of the bathroom ceiling, but that wasn't the case. Alice Cooper was very much awake and nearly scolded Betty for accepting a ride home from Jughead and his motorcycle.

"_You know how much I'm on your brother for driving one of those. They're dangerous Elizabeth! You need to be more responsible!" _

Betty recalled the lecture from her mother, shrugging her off and telling her she was doing homework before she locked her bedroom door. Josie picked her up as promised and they drove under streetlight hues and brisk winds to Jobey's.

"Hi." A tall brunette in the opposing teams school colors stepped in front of Betty and she nearly choked on her drink.

"Hi." She jumped back and smiled softly. She took another sip from the cup in her hand and could spy her brother just past the stranger's figure, in the corner wrapped up in a bunch of Greendale's cheerleaders. "What's your name stranger?" She thumbed the color of his varsity jacket and met his hazel eyes. She knew she had eyes on her, she always had eyes on her, and her brothers' minions were sure to be rats. She was walking on thin ice and as much as she hated to admit it, she was a lightweight. After just one cup of flat keg beer and couple shots she'd took with Josie, Betty was just a tab bit buzzed.

"You first beautiful," He nudged.

"Betty." She slurred slightly. "Betty Cooper."

"I'm Trevor, Trevor King."

"You go to Greendale?" Betty hummed and Trevor chuckled.

"What gave it away?" His eyes grazed her fingers and forearm now against his chest. "Why haven't we met before?"

"I'm a senior at Riverdale High, I don't get out much." Betty shrugged and leaned a little more into his tall figure. "You play football." Betty gestured into his jacket.

"Wrestling." She nodded in understanding and looked once more over his shoulder and noticed that Chic and the cheerleaders weren't there anymore. She jumped suddenly, looking around for her infamous brother and his biker jacket.

"You wanna get out of here?" She asked suddenly.

"Umm…" He was slightly taken back. She quickly understood how she sounded and defended her words.

"It's loud in here, we should find somewhere quiet- to talk."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She whispered.

"Let's go?" He smiled.

"Now." She nodded. Betty linked an arm around his elbow, and they looked for any door of the unfamiliar house. They started to walk, and Betty quickly felt a hard hand on her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice sounded too familiar and strong behind her. Betty turned to find Jughead.

"I'm leaving." Betty spat back. Her brothers' best friend was always butting into things that had nothing to do with him. "With Trevor." She secured her arm tighter against the stranger's side.

"Like hell you are." Jughead nearly laughed at her over the volumes of the house. "Chic would kill me if I let you leave with some guy."

"Well it's a good thing Chic isn't here now isn't it?" She muttered. It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation in the night and Betty wondered briefly if she should be worried about her brother being a murderer. There was no way, Chic wasn't cunning enough to kill somebody and get away with it.

"Who are you?" Trevor interrupted.

"My brothers' friend," Betty explained for him. "Who was just leaving." She turned back to Jughead who scoffed.

"Are we going?" Trevor simpered, leaning into Betty's ear. Jughead grew sick at the sight and wanted to throw him off of her.

"Yes." Betty turned and Jughead grabbed at her again.

"No." He snapped sternly.

"Jughead let me go!"

"You're not going anywhere, Goo."

"Goo?" Trevor interrupted, confused. "Okay I don't have time to deal with some jealous brotherhood shit, I'm out of here." He unlinked his arm and walked away from Betty, who could do nothing but sigh with aggravation.

"Why did you do that?" She spat angrily back at Jughead.

"What? Not let you leave with that Greendale bimbo?" He questioned. "Trust me, I did you a favor." He leaned into her small frame, hand on her sweater covered wrist. "You're welcome." Jughead whispered against her ear.

Betty didn't want to admit it, but his voice made her shiver. She looked around the room for anyone that could get her away from Jughead. Who at this point, still had a hand on her wrist, and was making the butterflies in her belly rumble _again_ and think things Betty knew she shouldn't. Jughead seemed to read her thoughts because in the exact moment his grasp left her arm. She could confess, she knew she was using Trevor as a distraction. She needed someone, anyone, to defeat the odds of her brain and break the barriers that she had unconsciously set in her mind.

She was seventeen and never been kissed. Granted her brother made it impossible for any guys to even take an interest in her, Jughead seeing that through a couple of times. It was embarrassing and she wouldn't lie, it honestly mortified her. She had never been one for flings, wanting all of her firsts to mean something. But it was getting to the point where she just wanted to experience _something_, the context didn't matter so much anymore.

There was one time when Betty was fourteen, she had snuck out of class to meet a boy. Reggie Mantle, one of the cutest boys in the ninth grade. Looking back now Betty knew it was a mistake. But Chic, being who he was, with his power, none of Betty's steps went uncharted. He caught her behind the bleachers before she had the chance to even say hello to Reggie and he had kept close tabs on her ever since. Reggie ended up with a fat lip and Betty with mortified and embarrassed red cheeks. He didn't want her hurt by some stupid young boy with raging hormones and a poor self-complex. She could thank him for that now, but her nagging hormones had her thinking up some sticky situations as the days passed and she only got older.

Just as quickly as Jughead's hand left her wrist sirens echoed and blue and red hues bounced off the walls of the room they were in.

"Shit." Betty heard Jughead mutter. "Cops." Betty froze, cops didn't come to Jobey's parties. In fact, there was a conspiracy that he and the cops had a deal not to bust him. She didn't know what to do, should she run? Her feet felt like rocks against the floor and she looked around at people starting to scatter out of the house and through the yard. She was overwhelmed and her breath felt hitched in her throat. _What the hell? _She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until Jughead grabbed her wrist again. "Come on," he nearly yelled over the crowd and yanked on her softly. Betty stumbled after him and only semi instinctively grabbing onto his leather clad elbow. They swerved through the crowd and she took every opportunity to lean into him. His hand slinked into hers when she started to snag as they reached the door.

She had dreamt of this moment. His fingers lacing through hers almost didn't feel real all while feeling so normal. She didn't know how to explain it and honestly didn't want to.

_It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean anything. _

She kept telling herself, it doesn't mean anything. Their pace quickened when they reached the yard. The sirens got louder and the lights brighter, the cops were close. Jughead lead them around the house and into the side of the yard they reached a fence and Jughead crouched suddenly, pulling Betty down with him. A cop passed the end of the alley and Betty suddenly wondered how his reflexes were so quick.

It didn't last too long, the quick moments of him pushing and pulling her along were beginning to catch up with them. Her small intake of alcohol was just enough to make her nearly hurl on the spot. She clutched his arm with a grip to steady him from moving any further. Jughead looked to her hand and the pressure and noticed her holding her other arm over her stomach with her head nearly between her knees.

"Shit." He muttered. Betty dry heaved but luckily nothing came up but the embarrassment on her face. He rubbed gently at her back and they stood up slowly. She caught her breath and the sirens and lights seemed to fade away from them. He glanced to their feet and noticed the tinge of red that had begun to spread across the cuff of Betty's ankle.

"That looks bad." He nudged his chin at her foot. Betty shifted so she could see her jeans in the faint streetlight.

"Shit. It's bleeding again." Betty shook her foot, seemingly thinking it would do something.

"What happened?"

"I kinda fell I guess, cut it up." She shrugged and looked at it again. "Rolled it too, but I can't really feel it."

"Jesus, how much did you drink?"

"Only like 3 beers…maybe a few shots too."

"So, you did sneak out..." Jughead interrupted her.

"Well yeah… I thought that was pretty obvious." She said back.

"Where did you plan on staying tonight?" He asked as they began walking again.

"Josie's." Betty began to look around for any sign of life beside the two of them walking down some random alley before she began to speak again. "My mom's working the redeye shift at the hospital, she'll be long gone before sunrise. Won't even know I'm gone." She shrugged.

"It's almost scary how good you are at sneaking around." Jughead told her, knowing about a few too many of her late-night adventures.

"It's a gift." Betty muttered coyly with a shy smile. She looked around again, but she didn't recognize where they were. She'd lost Josie easily in the crowd that dispersed from the party. She stopped walking long enough to fish her phone from her pocket. "Shit." She hissed and stopped again.

"What is it?" Jughead looked to her.

"My phones dead. Perfect." She sighed. Her hands crashed to her sides in defeat, she was frustrated, and her ankle was starting to hurt, bad enough for her to realize, and she had no idea where she was. "Where even are we?"

"My bikes right around the corner," Jughead pointed to the end of alley and leaned into her. She caught a slight whiff of his leather jacket and she felt as though her face had to have gone green. She suddenly got lightheaded and stumbled slightly. "Woah their tiger." Jughead caught her and secured her to his side. "Are you gonna be sick?" Jughead asked. Seeing her face go pale and her body nearly go limp against his side. She said nothing but nodded solemnly, just as quickly as she turned and hurled into the grass. She spit and pushed away from Jughead, hating that he was watching her puke up her mistakes. She couldn't think of anything worse in the moment.

Her rubbed her back anyway as she swatted at his legs. He wiped her hand against her mouth and stood up slowly. His hand didn't leave her back and she closed her eyes at the rush of pink that must have returned to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she couldn't help but mumble an apology.

"Come on," He nudged for them to keep walking.

"Where are we going?"

"I'll take you to my place,"

"No, no I have to go to Josie's…" She stuttered.

"Betty your wasted, and sick, and limping…" He pointed out. She didn't even know she'd been leaning on him. It hurt more than she remembered, but then again that was probably the alcohol wearing off. "My dad's not home, he's God knows where, but he's not home." Jughead said quickly.

"Jug," Betty weaned.

"We'll get you cleaned up, I'll patch up that ankle, you can sleep it off…"

"You can't tell Chic about this, he'll freak."

"You think I don't know that?" Jughead said with a half-laugh.

"Jughead, you have to promise me you won't tell him." Betty plead, sounding almost hysterical. Working herself up because she knew her brother, and she knew he wouldn't be pleased if he found out.

"Cross my heart." Jughead mimicked and used a finger to draw an 'X' on the right side of his chest.

"It's over here genius." Betty grabbed his hand and moved his finger to the left.

"I knew that…" He laughed her off, making another cross shape. "See, you're not that drunk." They both laughed at that and finished the stride to Jughead's bike

Jughead let them into his trailer, at the other end of the park from hers. There wasn't a soul in sight but that didn't stop Betty from looking paranoid. He clattered his keys on the counter muttering to her.

"Take a seat," he ushered to the couch against the wall. "I'm gonna grab the first aid kit."

Betty did as she was told and took a seat on the slightly worn sofa. She was sobering up already and her ankle hurt a lot more than she originally thought. She could hobble, so she knew it probably wasn't broken, but sprained none the less. She glanced around the room. It was uncanny how similar their trailers were. Hers just had another bedroom connected to it. Her hands balled into her lap as she played with her fingers, trying to distract herself. She'd been there before, just never without Chic. Sure, she'd known Jughead for what seemed like her whole life, but she'd never been alone with him… until now. She was careful not to, the nervousness at just the thought didn't seem worth it to her.

_Get ahold of yourself_. She thought. You literally just almost vomited onto his shoes you fool. "Got it." Jughead spoke suddenly. He held up a red case that broke through the soft dark light of the single lap that illuminated the shell of a room. He crouched down in front of the sofa and glanced up at her. Betty's stomach did a somersault when their eyes met, and she almost swore you could she her swallow the lump in her throat.

_This was a bad idea. _

He started to inspect her ankle and she hissed through her teeth when he pulled the jean material from the cut. The blood had dried them to her skin, which only intensified the pain.

"Sorry." He muttered. "Shit, it's too dark in here. Let's go in the kitchen, there's better light, I can get a better look."

"Okay doc." Betty said sarcastically.

"What can I say?" Jughead started, standing. "I'm a man of many talents." Betty chuckled and attempted to push up from the couch. "Come on," Jughead grunted, securing an arm around her side to help her stand. She wasn't that enabled, but she wasn't about to deny the help from him or his hands on her sides.

Betty hobbled into the kitchen an sank into one of the chairs. Jughead cracked open the first aid kit on the table and bent down to her foot again.

"Betty this doesn't look good…" he spoke softly, holding her foot. "It's swollen," he tilted it against the light. "And all cut up- Does this hurt?" He moved it to one side. Betty shook her head softly. "What if I do this?" Jughead pushed it towards her and she winced slightly.

"A little."

Jughead nodded and brought her ankle back towards him. "I think it's just a sprain. I'll clean up these cuts and wrap your ankle, we can ice it and elevate it while you sleep."

"How do you know all of this?" Betty said almost awestruck.

"What?" Jughead chuckled softly.

"This." Betty ushered toward her foot and the first aid kit. "How do you know what to do?"

He almost seemed to snicker into his chest and shook his head. "You don't wanna know, Goo."

"I do." She spoke meekly. Jughead stood slowly glancing to meet her eyes.

"Well… too bad." He said slowly, beginning to walk away again. She huffed into her chair and he seemingly pointed a finger back at her. "Stay put." He practically demanded. That brought a smirk to her face because she knew there was one on his.

He went to the bathroom and grabbed some cotton and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. He carried it back out and shook it at her. Betty sat up straight again and rolled up her pant leg.

"This is gonna sting a little." Jughead warned. He dabbed the cotton against the cuts and Betty hissed in stereo. Gripping the seat of the chair and making her knuckles turn white. "I'm sorry." He apologized.

"I don't want it to get infected right?" Betty muttered simply, releasing her grip. Jughead looked up to meet her eyes and nodded at her with a small smile.

Jughead bandaged up the cuts and wrapped her ankle, instructing her not to move again. He grabbed a glass of water from the tap and handed it to her, along with two aspirins, before cleaning up the mess of first aid supplies. Betty watched cautiously, awkwardly, but didn't move as she was instructed. Swallowing down the water and pain killers, careful not to overwhelm her angry stomach. Suddenly Jughead reappeared in the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water for himself, swallowing it down in one gulp.

"Alright, let's go." He muttered, standing from his lean on the counter.

"Where exactly are we going?" Betty asked confused. Jughead chuckled into his chest before leaning down to pick her up from the chair. "Jughead!" she nearly shrieked. "Jug, what are you doing?"

"Don't even think about walking." He stood up with her in his arms.

"Put me down." She said sternly.

"Nope." He started to walk out of the small kitchen.

"Jughead!" Betty realized they were headed for the bedroom when he stayed silent. "I can sleep on the couch. You can have your bed, Jug."

"You're hurt and sick, I'll sleep on the couch." He muttered, not meeting her eyes.

"Oh, so he does speak…" He smirked which only made her smirk.

"I'm fine. Take me to the couch or I'll walk there myself." Jughead stopped mid-step and finally looked at her. With his tongue in his cheek, their eyes seemingly developed into a staring contest. Betty crossed her arms over her chest, which were once unconsciously wrapped around his neck.

"Ugh… fine." He didn't turn around though, instead he stopped at the door to the small bathroom. "You know, you can be so aggravating."

"Mmmhmm…" Betty hummed. Jughead set her onto the closed seat of the toilet and Betty adjusted her position as he walked toward the bedroom again. He came back out with a t-shirt and some sweatpants, throwing them at her.

"Put these on… and um," he searched a nearby cabinet. "Use this." He handed her a new toothbrush. "I know you don't want to wake up with puke breath." He winked and she knew she was blushing.

"Sexy, Jug…" she giggled softly at the mention of her having puke breath, and she smirked. She couldn't believe that they were actually having this conversation. She glanced down to the clothes again and he must have sensed her apprehension.

"Put them on, Betty. You're not sleeping in jeans, let alone bloody jeans. I'll throw them in the wash." She rolled her eyes and grunted at him, so he smiled and shut the door behind him. How did she not know that he was this caring?

Shimmying out of her jeans had to look like a magic trick. Avoiding any weight on her ankle, Betty used leverage from her arms and the sink vanity to wobble into the sweats.

"You decent?" He yelled out at her once he thought she'd taken long enough.

"Umm, yeah."

He quickly helped her out the couch and grabbed the remainder of her water from the kitchen table before he disappeared again.

She swallowed down a drink of her water, nearly choking when Jughead came into her view in just flannel pajama pants. She coughed quietly into her hand and Jughead glanced at her. "Wrong tube," she managed, ushering at her throat. He chuckled, shaking his head, he opened the freezer above the refrigerator. He pulled out a frozen bag of peas and reached for the dish towel on the stove.

"Here." He walked up to her and handed her the frozen veggies.

"Thanks." She barely met his eyes. He locked the door of the trailer while Betty propped her foot with a pillow.

Jughead threw her clothes in the wash as promised, before swallowing down another glass of water. He finally let out a loud sigh before resting on the floor in front of the couch. He grabbed the television remote and began flipping through the channels. It was nearly midnight, and only having local channels quickly turned into them watching an old episode of Full House. Betty watched him, Jughead obviously oblivious to her watchful ways. She was more focused on his bare shoulder just a few inches from her hand than she was on the iconic classic theme song or young Michelle Tanner muttering _"You got it dude,"_ for what seemed like the tenth time. Betty watched as his head started to dip, his chin falling into his chest before bouncing back up again. She smirked and giggled softly.

"Jug?" She whispered.

"Hmm?" He jumped and she laughed again.

"Go to bed, I'll be fine."

"No, no. I'm good, I'm good…" he tried to defend, adjusting himself to sit up straight.

"Jug," She placed a hand on his shoulder and wasn't sure if she was just feeling things, but he tensed and looked at her fingers. She suddenly wondered if her touch affected him as much as his did her. "Goodnight." She stuttered.

Jughead look back before he stood, smiling softly at her. He pulled the now semi-thawed peas from her ankle to put them back in the freezer. Betty reached for the blanket that was on the back of the sofa and draped it over herself. Jughead stood in between the hallway and the living room, with a hand on the back of his neck. The light behind him made a black silhouette of his body, which Betty was thankful for in the moment. She didn't know if she'd be able to control not looking at him in that stance in the light.

"You're good?" He asked nervously.

"Yeah." She whispered, nodding, knowing he could see her.

"Okay, goodnight…" He turned for the hall.

"Jug,"

"What's up?"

"Thank you." She muttered, sincerely.

"No problem," He shrugged.

"No seriously Jughead, thank you. My mom would've killed me if I'd have gone home and Josie-"

"Just get some rest, Betts…" Her heart squeezed at the new nickname. He didn't call her that. _Nobody called her that_. She was just Magoo to him, sure she hated the nickname, because what could be worse than the guy you like calling you by your childhood nickname? But _"Betts…"_ it was almost foreign. But so much better than _"Goo,"_ and she hoped it'd stick around.

"We'll talk in the morning." Without another word, Jughead disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Betty to stare into the darkness.

It was gonna be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2: Living on the Edge

Jughead Jones liked to live life on the edge. He'd grown up fast. His mother had abandoned him when he was young and his father never could lay off the whiskey bottle, so Jughead spent the majority of his younger years caring for himself. It was only right that he entered the towns gang like his father had. He'd known Chic Cooper since grade school, the two of them best buds and growing up in the same trailer park. They'd gone through the ranks together with the Serpents, both joining on their sixteenth birthdays. Jughead would swear on anything that he knew Chic Cooper better than anyone else, but that also meant that he knew nothing else mattered more to his best friend other than protecting his baby sister… Betty Cooper.

Betty woke early, before Jughead and to a ruckus. A drunken FP Jones was making a ton of noise in the kitchen. Betty jumbled up from the couch in a rush, scared awake from all of the noise. It was no secret that Jughead's father was an alcoholic but seeing it with her own eyes instantly made her heart hurt to think about Jughead living with this his whole life.

"Hey, you're the little Cooper, right?" He slurred at her.

"Uh, yeah. Good morning Mr. Jones."

"You running around with my boy?"

"No Mr. Jones, I uh- Just got locked out of my trailer last night," she lied. "Jughead

found me and told me I was more than welcome to stay here."

"Oh yeah anytime little darling," FP slurred again, walking closer to the sofa. "You wanna explain that?" He pointed at her ankle and Betty consciously looked down. Her ankle had developed quite a nice purple bruise extending passed Jughead's wrap job and almost down to her toes.

"I uh fell, Mr. Jones."

"Looks like it hurts like a bitch,"

"Dad-" Jughead suddenly spoke. Causing Betty to jump and glance at the hallway. Again, only in a pair of flannel pajama pants, but now the morning sun illuminated the whole trailer, his clad chest and abdomen included, Betty hadn't realized she was holding her breath again.

"Good Morning boy," FP nearly yelled.

"Let's go to bed dad," Jughead said, meeting his father closer to the couch.

"Is it true that you told Betty she could stay here? You sure you two aren't secretly shacking up?"

"What?" Jughead hissed. "No dad," he glanced to Betty, almost pleadingly.

"I just got locked out Mr. Jones, I walked home after the game last night and I had fallen and needed help."

"Now dad, can we please get you into bed…"

"Whatever," he mumbled and pushed Jughead off of him. He stumbled and nearly face planted into the far wall of the small trailer. He somehow made his way into the bedroom and Jughead met Betty back at the couch.

"Can I look at that ankle?" Jughead nodded towards her foot and Betty nodded beginning to sit up straighter. He was solemn, maybe embarrassed, Betty noticed and instinctively yearned to touch him.

"Jug-"

"I'm sorry… About my dad." he muttered, cutting her off and taking the heel of her foot in his hand.

"Don't worry about it," Betty said before she hissed at the gauze pulling on her skin. She instinctively grasped her fingers at his bare shoulder in a way to steady herself from him pushing against the littered bruises.

"Sorry," he repeated before standing to grab the first aid kit again. "Remind me to change the locks," he scoffed and met back at her foot. She couldn't help letting out a small laugh.

"It looks worse than it feels," Betty told him.

"What are you gonna tell your mom?"

"Just have to hope she doesn't notice, I guess… Ahh-"

"It'll be tender for a few days. We should put some weight on it though." The way he'd used _we _had her only slightly swooning, but she nodded to him. Jughead stood and looped an arm around her waist. His t-shirt on her body cinching and Betty couldn't help but take a deep breath. She was swimming in his clothes but a very big part of her kinda loved it. Her foot hurt when they stood, but all she could think about is how close his face was to hers. "Take a few steps with me," he muttered, and she nodded.

"I feel like a baby," she hissed, holding back the tears in her eyes.

"Hey no, it's a nasty sprain. You're probably lucky you were drunk last night, prevented you from feeling it sooner." She hadn't realized that she was literally clinging to him, both of her arms around his bare waist. She took a couple of limping steps and tried to let go of him, his warm skin becoming too overwhelming for her senses. _He must've felt it too_. "You should probably be getting home. Chic is supposed to be stopping by and we both know that you shouldn't be here when he decides to show up."

"Yeah," There went her brother, ruining everything like always. She couldn't help but be frustrated.

"But I can stop by later, see how your ankle is doing." He left her side and grabbed her a glass of water and two more aspirins.

"It's fine Jug,"

"Betty," he handed her the glass and she swallowed down the medicine.

"Look Jughead thank you, I really don't deserve everything that you did for me last night. But I don't need you to babysit me, I'll be fine." She watched him huff in exasperation and he ran a hand through his unruly inky hair.

"Okay fine, but at least let me walk you to your trailer."

"Fine."

Jughead grabbed her clothes from the dryer and Betty hobbled into the small bathroom to change. He finally put on some much-appreciated clothes and soon they were on their way to her trailer, her limping had gotten a little bit better, she still used his elbow for leverage, but Jughead didn't seem to mind. He had thankfully charged her phone for her too and she had finally gotten the chance to check it. She had a handful of messages from Josie and one from her mother.

'_**Where are you? Did you leave?'-Josie**_

'_**Betty! WTH!?'-Josie**_

'_**I hope you're somewhere safe, I'm leaving with my sister.' -Josie**_

'_**Text me when you get this, I want to make sure you're safe' -Josie**_

'_**I'll be home late, picked up a double shift.' -Mom**_

"You got any plans today?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"I have a meeting at the Wyrm with the Serpents, and then I was gonna head to Greendale and pick up some bike parts… What about you?"

"Mom will be home late," she shook her phone aimlessly at him. She suddenly shivered, the morning wind cutting through her sweater.

"Here," he stopped them. "Take my jacket." Jughead shrugged off the serpent printed leather and rested it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," Betty muttered. Trying her hardest not to think about his scent enveloping her body.

"Still sore?" he nudged to her ankle with his chin.

"It's barrable, but better."

They reached her trailer and she pulled his jacket off of her shoulders.

"Thanks again, Jug. For everything." She meant it meaningfully.

"You gonna make it inside okay?"

"Well, I definitely won't be running any marathons anytime soon or sneaking out of anymore windows, but I think I'll manage." She ended with a small laugh and so did he. Jughead stared at her for a moment, she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and almost cowered into herself. She wanted to lean back on her heels, but her injured ankle made that impossible. "Well, you should probably be getting back. You never know when Chic's gonna decide to grace us with his presence."

"Yeah, um right…" Jughead mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets. "If you need anything, you know where to find me. Please Betts, don't hesitate to ask."

There it was and she loved it just as much as she had the first time. All she could do was nod to him. He turned away and so did she, fumbling for her keys to unlock her trailer door.

"Jug!" she suddenly turned back before she lost the courage. He looked back at her and she sucked in a breath. "I have a shift at the diner tonight…" she wasn't exactly sure why she was telling him, but maybe some part of her wanted him to stop by. Possibly give him a reason to see her again, without Chic.

"Um okay, maybe I'll stop by, take another look at that ankle…"

"Sounds great." She couldn't hide that excitement that tinged her voice.

"Bye, Betts." He turned and walked away. Betty didn't stop him this time, instead letting herself into her own trailer, changing into some comfier clothes, and crashing into her bed for some sleep that would actually be restful before her shift that she was actually excited for.

Pop's diner was the local hangout for the entire town. But it was seemingly a really slow night for it being a Saturday. Betty had worked for Pop Tate since she'd turned fourteen and knew she needed to pay for her freshman year cheerleading uniform. It started out as just little odd jobs her and there, helping out for a little extra cash. But Pop Tate grew older and Betty grew wiser. She practically ran the place when she was there. It was nearing ten o'clock, they were set to close soon, and Betty hadn't seen Jughead all night. She couldn't help but be a little disappointed, but she also knew that she couldn't expect anything from him. After all, he didn't really owe her anything.

She could say though that she wasn't upset that the diner had been slow. Her ankle was killing her, and resting didn't sound too bad. She'd replaced Jughead's cloth bandage with an elastic wrap, hoping the compression would help with the pain and swelling of her being on her feet. She untied her apron from behind her back and soothed her hands down the pleats of the pale-yellow skirt of her uniform. She hated the damn thing, but to Pop Tate it kept the place nostalgic, so it wasn't negotiable.

"Nice outfit," Betty almost jumped out of her skin. She was immune to the door chime at this point and she hadn't even heard anyone walk in.

"Jughead! Hi, you scared me." She laughed a little with a hand on her chest.

"Sorry," Jughead laughed. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I didn't think you were coming…" she began counting the money in one of the registers. He met the bar top in front of her a sat down.

"I said I was coming, didn't I?"

"You said maybe." She corrected him, not being able to help herself.

"How's our ankle?"

Her stomach fluttered at his use of _our_ and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She walked out from behind the counter to show him.

"Wow…" he looked at the elastic bandage that she'd wrapped herself. "Nice job."

"See, I might not need you after all." He couldn't help but giggle.

"Don't kid yourself Goo." She couldn't help the sour look that rose upon her face at his use of the nickname that she hated. She knew he could tell that something he said had bothered her and for a second she thought about telling him, but she retreated from the idea quickly.

"What'd I say?"

"Nothing Jug." She didn't look at him.

"Well obviously I said something, otherwise you wouldn't have questioned why I asked…" he spoke with so much intelligence and she suddenly wondered how in the hell he was real and what he was doing in a town like theirs. She said nothing though, simply shaking her head at him.

"Do you want something to drink?" She went back to counting the money, the awkward silence and sudden tension killing her a little.

"Coffee?" he asked her. She turned around and poured him a glass from the station behind her, handing him the ceramic mug with a smile. "Bla-"

"Black." She cut him off. "I know." She wasn't sure what she saw in his eyes, admiration maybe? She didn't know, but she kinda liked it.

He sipped on his coffee for a while, she finished counting down both drawers. Of course, it wouldn't be Jughead without him interrupting her counting by yelling out is own out of order numbers just to irritate her and make her start over. They hadn't talked anymore about what made her go sour. Betty had sent the cooks home, leaving her to close up. She was leaning over each of the booths in the restaurant and turning off of their lights. She could feel her skirt ride up just a little each time she bent over, she was a little mortified, but sort of hoping he was watching her.

"You get those bike parts?" She suddenly asked him, remembering their conversation from earlier that day. He let out a little cough on his coffee and she laughed a tiny laugh, knowing full and well that he was definitely watching her.

"Um, no actually." He started and she decided to look back at him. "Drove two and half hours, parts were all junk, nothing more than scrap. So, I ended up coming home with nothing."

"Well, that stinks." She told him.

"I saw Chic this morning…" Jughead suddenly spoke.

"Oh yeah. How'd that go?"

"He's got a pretty nice shiner actually."

"No way!" Betty jumped at him and Jughead laughed.

"Yeah, I guess he tried hooking up with some rando after the party got busted last night. Turns out she had a boyfriend and he kinda walked in on them in the middle of… well-it." Jughead couldn't help the embarrassed blush that rose in is cheeks.

"Well I mean, serves him right." Betty could do nothing but shrug and giggle a little.

She started to finish up everything that needed to be done around the diner. She wasn't quite sure why she let him hang out, but she wouldn't lie it was nice having someone around. She looked in one of the coolers and noticed there was no use in saving what was left of the last pie.

"Are you hungry?"

"C'mon Betty, you know I never turn down food." He hopped up from the stool. "Whatcha got?"

"Pie?" She held it up in his view.

"You got any ice cream?"

"Of course." She smiled.

"Let me help." He offered, grabbing two plates while she placed a slice on each. She could've sworn he watched her suck the pad of her thumb into her mouth to catch some run away cherry filling. Her stomach swirled a little. She scooped some ice cream onto the plates as well before she topped off his mug and grabbed one for herself. Jughead had set them up in one of the booths and Betty quickly joined him.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing." Jughead said as he took another scoopful into his mouth. Betty giggled as he closed his eyes with each bite, taking a mouthful of her own.

"You've never had it before?" she found it hard to believe.

"I'm not usually a cherry type of guy, but man do I wish I would've broadened my horizons."

"It is good isn't it?"

"So good!"

They finished their pie, mostly in silence. He had to finish off hers too, because Betty just couldn't manage. She sipped on her coffee and watched him, as she thought he might lick the plate too.

"All done?" She asked and he nodded with a smile. She reached for his plate, stacking it on top of hers before she went to stand. He placed his hand on her wrist and she felt the same fire she'd felt the night before at the party. His rough fingers against her smooth wrist; it was such an odd feeling, but she found herself wondering if he felt it too.

"Sit Betts, you've been on your feet all night- you deserve a break."

"Jug, -"

"It's okay, I got it." He stood, squeezing lightly on her wrist before grabbing the plates from her. Once he stood, he didn't actually know what to do with the dishes and sort of looked around for a minute. He stood at the end of the bar and could see the dish bin just inside the kitchen. She couldn't help but shake her head into a soft smile and laugh. "Can I go back there?" He asked and she simply met his eyes and nodded, the unfamiliar warmth inside her quickly enveloping her whole body. She loved the quick peeks of his awkward quiet and kind side. She didn't know how she'd never noticed it before. "Do you need more coffee?" he broke her from her thoughts.

"That'd be nice Jug, thank you."

He brought the pot to the table and filled their mugs. She thought about being brave, I mean after all they'd had almost twenty-four hours of completely uncharted territory, what did she really have to lose?

"Jug?"

"Hmm?" he looked at her. She got flustered with his eyes and clammed, she actually didn't know what she even wanted to say to him. "Betty?"

"Huh?" she spoke suddenly.

"I lost you, I think…" he let out a small huff laugh.

"Sorry." She muttered meekly.

"Everything okay?"

"Um yeah, yeah… I think I'm just tired. Thinking a lot and my ankle hurts like a bitch." She grumbled with a chuckle.

"Oh shit, hang on." He left her again and headed into the kitchen. She knew he was probably lost but he came back shortly with a towel and a bag of frozen something, she actually had no idea what it was. He sat back down. This time next to her, "Put it up here," he patted his hand on the booth's leather next his leg. She did as she was told, sliding herself more comfortably against the far wall so that she could gain some leverage.

"Jughead you can't be real."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Well then I'm definitely dreaming…"

"Do you dream about me often?" He asked her coyly. Betty knew that she must've looked like a tomato at his words. He took her shoe off, along with the elastic bandage. He placed the bag of frozen whatever along the top of her ankle and began massaging her calf. She could feel the goosebumps rise over her entire body, the heat swirling again.

"Okay yeah, I'm most definitely dreaming." He couldn't help but laugh, not noticing her gripping the booth beneath her in order to ground herself. "Can we talk?" she wanted, scratch that, _needed_ a distraction.

"Let's talk… You first."

"Are you still writing?"

"Whenever I can," he nodded. "I can't believe you actually remember that."

"Well yeah Jug,"

"What's your story Cooper?"

"What?"

"Seriously Betty, I feel like we've known each other our whole lives-"

"Because we have." She chuckled and cut him off.

"Then why do I feel like I know absolutely nothing about you?"

She'd never really thought about it. He was right, he didn't really know her at all. Not the real Betty. She was quiet so no one would look, so no one would stare, so no one would judge her. But she had so many things to say and telling Jughead Jones how she really felt was just one of many.

"I don't know…" she shrugged at him.

"Betty?"

"You don't ask Jughead, I guess I never thought you cared."

"Of course, I care about you Betty."

"But Chic's my brother yada yada-yeah I get it Jug." She finished the thought for him.

"Betty,"

"Fine. Ask me something."

"Um okay," he began. "What are you thinking about going to school for?" she couldn't help the coy smile that spread across her face.

"I'm leaning towards education."

"I think you'd make a great teacher." He smiled genuinely and she thought she could feel it in her bones. "Why'd you clam up earlier? When I asked you about your ankle?" she suddenly remembered, and you would've thought her whole body shook. But she looked into his eyes and shook her head once more. He gently squeezed at a part of her leg, as if for support.

"It's stupid."

"C'mon, tell me Goo." In the moment he said it, she huffed in exasperation. With her tongue in her cheek, she looked up at the ceiling.

"I kinda hate that." She told him. "Actually, I really hate that."

She could tell he was still confused, and she just shook her head again. "What Betts? I don't think I'm following."

Her voice got quiet and she mumbled a little. It really was stupid, but it actually did bother her. She absolutely despised it, especially coming from _his_ mouth.

"I hate when you call me Goo," she almost spat. "Chic does it and it's never usually coming from a good place, but it just hits differently when you say it and I actually hate it." She tried to pull away from him… maybe sit up. She instantly regrets her decision, hissing at the instant sharp pain that surged through her tender foot and ankle.

"Betty I-" he started. "I had no idea, I'm so sorry."

"Seriously Jug it's not your fault, there's no way you could know. Honestly, it's not even that big of a deal, a lot of it is just me overreacting." She bent down to pull the ice from her ankle. "I just- I wanna go home."

"How do you plan on getting there?"

"I usually just walk." She shrugged, attempting to scramble from the booth.

"By yourself? Think again." He questioned her.

"You act like we haven't lived in this town our entire lives Jug. Nothing bad ever happens here."

"Famous last words Cooper… But, seriously let me give you a ride."

"Do you know how much trouble you got me in after the game on Friday? No way Jug."

"How much trouble _I_ got you in? I'm not the one with the mangled ankle from falling out a window. Try again, Betts."

"Fair. But seriously Jughead I'll be fine."

"Okay." He seemed to surrender. "I'm gonna go then."

"Okay." She couldn't help that she was a little disappointed and she knew that he could sense the sadness tinged in her voice. But he left anyway. He unlocked the latch on the front door, and he was gone. She took the biggest deep breath that she'd had all night, grunting audibly into the air. What the hell had just happened? She debated on pinching herself, but she was already bruised up enough and decided that she didn't need another one.

Betty rewrapped her ankle and retied her shoe. She collected their coffee cups and wiped down the booth. Erasing any trace that there might have been of them there. She turned off all of the remaining lights and made sure all of the doors were locked. She turned to lock the main one after she'd walked out, she took a few steps not even noticing the body sitting on the bench in front of the building. Jughead stood and walked over to her, so close she swore she could feel his breath on her face.

"Get on the damn bike, Betts."

Jughead Jones was enigmatic… and the most alluring, tortured soul Betty Cooper had ever met. But what did she know anyway? After all she was only 17.


	3. Chapter 3: Jumping Ship

Betty Cooper had seemed to dream of the cliché version of her own prince charming. She didn't know if she actually even believed in true loved, or if it would actually ever happen to her. When she did though, she let herself dream of impossible things. It was something you read about in storybooks or when you let yourself live in world of castles, dragons, and even ogres. A one true love seemed like a conundrum to her, except hers rode motorcycles and contained his unruly hair with a helmet that matched his signature leather jacket.

Betty climbed on Jughead's bike much like she had the previous night when they went to his trailer, except this time it felt different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it though. He'd given her his jacket again. After all, her uniform didn't offer much warmth against the cool nighttime winds of October. She wrapped her arms around his waist, ready for take-off, this time gaining a little courage and squeezing. She let her cheek rest against his back, still warm from the jacket he'd just given to her. She took a deep breath. Betty simpered in the feeling of him. Just for a second. Jughead stood with his feet on the ground, feeling the cracked pavement under his boots, and she could feel him tense beneath her. It was silent and they didn't move. Betty wasn't sure if Jughead was aware of exactly what she was doing, but honestly, she didn't care. He seemed to look down at her arms around his waist and she thought she must've been dreaming again because he took his own hand and rested it against one of her arms, squeezing at her wrist lightly. Betty threw all caution to the wind and nuzzled her face against his back just a little more. She inhaled deeply between his shoulder blades. Suddenly she felt him relax, the tension left his shoulders and the breath in his lungs seemed to escape from a place he didn't even know he'd been holding it captive.

It ended just as quickly as it started. Jughead started the motorbike and revved it underneath them. Betty let herself inhale against him one more time. She wanted so badly to place a small kiss between his shoulder blades, but she didn't dare press her luck. He drove them the few blocks it took to get to the trailer park. Betty caught quick sight of hers, all of the lights were out which meant two things. Her mom was asleep, and Chic wasn't there. Jughead caught her by surprise when he suddenly cut the engine in front of his trailer. He kicked down the stand while Betty looked around aimlessly, confused. Jughead got off the bike and lifted the helmet from her head.

"I didn't think your mom would appreciate if we woke her." He said, noticing her confusion.

"Smart." She said, pointing at him. Jughead let out a small laugh and took her hand helping her from the bike. "Walk me?" she asked him, and he nodded.

"Thank you, Jug." She said once they reached her trailer.

"When's your next shift?" He asked her.

"Tomorrow." She muttered softly. She looked at her toes, her hands balling themselves at her waist.

"I'm picking you up."

"Jug-"

"Betts, it's not negotiable."

"Ten o'clock?" she surrendered.

"I'll be there." He nodded to her. She removed his jacket from her shoulders and handed it back to him.

"Goodnight Jug."

"Goodnight Betty."

Betty stepped inside and put her hand on her chest. She exhaled sharply and audibly. She leaned against the back of the front door and looked at the ceiling. She couldn't believe what had just happened. If she was being honest, she couldn't believe that the last twenty-four hours had actually been her life. If someone had told her that she'd be alone with Jughead she wouldn't have thought it to be true, let alone what had just happened between them on his motorcycle. What was worse… she wanted more.

The following night Jughead had picked her up like he'd promised except this time when he took her hand to help her off of the bike she didn't let go. He walked her to her trailer, as Betty toyed with his fingers, and they muttered their "goodnights." He never made any move and it honestly just confused Betty so much more. He'd promised to pick her up again after her next shift in two days. She didn't know what he was thinking or feeling, and it left her reeling every time she left his presence. She'd give anything to get inside his head a decipher any thoughts he had on her. She needed answers.

"Betty?"

"Huh?"

"Earth to Betty… where'd you go?" Josie tried to get Betty out of her mind funk. It was their first cheerleading practice since the big loss against the Gators and captain Cheryl was on a rampage, but thankfully she took it easy on Betty due to her injury.

"_I'll be out for at least three weeks." Betty told the queen bee herself. _

"_That means you'll miss the Homecoming game. I can't have one of my seniors miss the Homecoming game." Cheryl's ears nearly went ablaze. _

"_I'm so sorry Cheryl…" She really wasn't. "But I'll still be cheering with you guys from the sidelines." Betty tried to tell her happily. _

"_Ugh, fine-" Cheryl finally seethed. "But you're in charge of finding your own replacement," Cheryl said, and Betty tried to interrupt. _

"_I'll help." Josie interjected and placed a hand on Betty's arm. _

"_And I still expect you in full uniform on game days and you still have to be at every practice and game." _

"_Of course." Betty tried to mutter as happily as she could manage as she fought against rolling her eyes. _

The afternoon was hot. The girls were stretching, but Betty couldn't sway her mind from the last few days and the Jughead mayhem. He'd picked her up the previous night, just like he'd promised. Nothing more had happen than a couple purposeful hand brushings and a quick hug when she'd left him. They hadn't talked since then and she honestly didn't know when or if they would again.

She was ready to be done with practice. Chic was picking her up and she knew her mom had the night shift tonight. She wanted to take a bath and curl up with a Nicholas Sparks movie. She honestly couldn't think of anything else more relaxing in the moment.

"Seriously Betty. Are you okay? I feel like you've been in outer space these last few days."

"I'm good Jos." She nodded. They were walking up the hill of the schools' track to the parking lot. "Just kinda tired these last few days, I guess."

"You're sure you're okay?

"Yeah Jos." She smiled and hugged her small concerned friend.

"You need a ride?"

"Chic's picking me up."

"Ugh, okay." Josie rolled her eyes. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow… Bye, B."

Chic was smoking, Betty could she the smoke coming from the driver's side window. He'd barrowed the family station wagon and had the music up way too loud. He made her walk the entire parking lot. Betty rolled her eyes and threw her bag in the back as Chic started to yell.

"Hurry your ass up, we got places to be." Betty froze in her tracks. Wait, _"we?" _

That's when she saw him. Jughead was in the passenger seat and Betty cursed to herself. She balled her hands in front of her and turned away from the car to ensure that they couldn't see her.

"Let's go…" Chic yelled once more. His voice becoming a little more rushed and angered as he banged on the car roof. Betty jumped at the loud crack in her ears, scrunching her eyes shut.

"Okay, okay." She said, attempting to ignore Jughead sitting directly in front of her. He had a nervous thumbnail in his mouth and his knee was bouncing. She could see him looking at her in the side mirror. Betty wanted to shrivel into herself and die.

"Hi, little sis. Longtime no see." Chic's words spewed like venom and Betty just rolled her eyes once more.

"Yeah how's the eye Rockstar?" Jughead shot her a look in the mirror and she knew she was in trouble. She forgot she hadn't seen her brother since Friday. Therefore, she shouldn't know about his eye. "I mean what happened to your eye?" the eye was still a couple different shades of yellow and brown and definitely still noticeable.

"Shut the fuck up." He hissed and all she could do was shake her head with a nervous laugh. "I'm dropping you off. Got it? You're lucky I didn't make your ass walk- we have shit to do and I didn't sign up to babysit today."

"Hey man, lay off her would you…" Jughead tried to fend for her and she simpered a little smile.

"Whatever." Chic eyed her from the rearview mirror.

"What is it that's so important? I'm dying to know." She said it cheekily, with as much sarcasm as she could muster up.

"Nothing that concerns you." Chic spat once more. Betty rolled her eyes at the both of them. _It never concerned her._

"Serpent stuff." Jughead told her and she nodded. She looked out her window and tried to imagine that she was anywhere else. Thank goodness it was only a five-minute drive from the school to the trailer park. She had her leg shoved against the door and slightly between the passenger seat. Jughead had snuck his hand between and teased her ankle. She nudged his fingers and smiled at him in the mirror. He returned it and started to stroke her shin. Chic was oblivious to them and Betty honestly couldn't wait to get out of the car. She hated the feeling of being on the edge. She was nervous around Jughead, and that nervousness just tripled with Chic's presence.

Betty basically scrambled from the car when they reached the trailer. Jughead ripped his hand out from between the seat and mustered up a nervous clearing of his throat. Betty quickly grabbed her cheer bag from the trunk just as fast as Chic blared the stereo and sped off leaving Betty nearly coughing in a cloud of dust and gravel. She rolled her eyes at them once more before she let herself into the trailer. It was almost five o'clock and the sun was already setting. The trailer was hot from the golden hour, but Betty thought that homework wasn't a bad option until she could muster up enough energy to make herself something to eat or draw up a bath.

She was curled up in sweats and watching _The Notebook_ on her school laptop when her phone suddenly buzzed next to her. It was a number that had never texted her before, but she still had the contact saved. It was Jughead and Betty nearly fell off her bed when she read his name across the screen.

**J: you home alone? **

She wasn't sure what say. She was, but did she dare tell him that? She could hear her heartbeat in her ears. What did he want with her? Was she in some sort of trouble? She thought for a second, she decided how she wanted to play it.

**B: Maybe…**

Jughead messaged back almost instantaneously, causing her to jump and then laugh at herself. She nearly lost her phone off the bed and mumbled a curse word.

**J: come outside.**

Betty might've panicked for a split second. Jughead Jones was outside and waiting for _her_. She was wearing a wet messy bun, crop top, and sweatpants that had popcorn crumbs all over them and Jughead was outside waiting for her. She jumped off of her bed, grabbed a sweater from behind her door and jumped into some slip-on sandals. Hopefully Jughead didn't plan on taking her anywhere.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she said once she stepped outside. "My mom could be home any minute."

"No, she won't be." Jughead told her, his hands in his pockets. He was leaning against his bike. He drank her in. Gone was any image he had of her as a little girl. Her long neck expanse nearly made his mouth water and he seethed at the sight of the strip of perfect skin at her hips between her waistband and crop top. He'd never realized it before, but she literally had the most perfect figure and now he'd never be able to get it out of his head.

"What? How do you know?" Betty shoved her arms into her cardigan at the quick change in temperature.

"She called Chic when I was still with him. Said she was staying somewhere tonight? Asked him to watch you."

"Okay wow and eww… and where's Chic?"

"Hell, if I know." Jughead shrugged, taking a few steps toward her. "Said he was going to some chicks house."

"Okay you still didn't answer my question." She crossed her arms to ward off the cold. "What are you doing here Jug?"

"I wanted to see you." He muttered simply. Betty was taken back by his honesty. She didn't know what she expected him to say but it definitely wasn't… _that._ He took a step closer to her, she could feel heat radiating off of him. He reached down and took her hand, he played with her fingers and her pulse quickened.

"Jug…"

"I'm sorry about today…" he cut her off. "About Chic being an ass to you, you don't deserve that."

"A head's up might've been nice." She said with a light laugh and a tinge of sarcasm.

"I know Betts, it just happened so fast. I didn't even realize that he was getting you from practice until we pulled in the parking lot." He started to ramble. "I couldn't really just pull out my phone and be like, "_oh yeah let me text your sister really quick_." Betty couldn't help the smile that escaped her lips. She looked at her feet and could hear him sigh.

"Why now, Jughead?" she couldn't help but continue to ask herself the same question, so she was dying for an answer from him.

"What?" he asked.

"Why are you here?" she heard her voice squeak and her shoulders rose, gesturing to the trailer behind her. "Chic talks to me like that all of them time and you've never defended me before."

"I guess… I guess I just don't care what he thinks anymore." He said it so purely Betty thought she might be hearing things.

This was what she wanted. Jughead wasn't viewing her as the dainty little girl that she thought he always had. After all, she wasn't, she was almost eighteen. He didn't want to be another big brother to her, and she was more than fine with that. But what exactly did he want? Confused didn't even begin to cover how Betty felt.

Her legs felt shaky and her hands a little sweaty, he took a couple more steps towards her. Their hands still toyed together, so naturally fitting. The soft of hers and the rough of his.

"I-I don't understand Jughead…" her voice was almost a whisper and she hated how breathless she sounded. He placed his right hand along the protrusion of her hip bone. His touch against her bare flesh seared at the contact and she thought she might've even let out an audible hiss.

"Oh, I think you do, Betty." His voice was so confident, and she had no idea where it was coming from. Her stomach flipped and the butterflies swarmed in her chest, tickling her throat. There's no way this was happening. It had to be a dream. There was no other explanation. He stepped a little closer. Heat infused her body and she began to fidget. She knew she exhaled sharply and swore she could see her breath along the outline of his face in the light off of her trailer. When had he had this awakening? She'd been waiting for this for what felt like forever and now she had so many questions for him. She was overwhelmed and he just kept getting closer. Betty wanted to take a step back, but she thought she might fall if she did. It was quickly becoming too much, but she wanted so badly to give in. Her hand met the back of her neck and she thought he might kiss her, but she didn't move. He leaned in and she knew exactly what he was doing, and in a moment, everything came flooding back at her. _Her brother_, she knew Jughead would never betray her brother. He meant too much to him and she could never, _would never_, be the one that took that from him.

"We can't Jug." She muttered it so quiet and meekly she almost didn't hear herself. She gave him a slight push and he backed away. Betty retreated, thinking she had no other option. She thought she could hear him mutter her name and it took everything in her to pull away from the grasp he had on her hand and fingers. She'd just completely embarrassed herself. She ran back into her trailer, not even looking into his eyes one time, but she could only imagine that hurt that had filled them. He would be her undoing, that she knew.

She pulled out her phone and called the only person she knew would understand.

"Josie, we need to talk."

"What's up, B?"

"Jughead Jones may or may not have just tried to kiss me?" Betty simpered and looked out one of the trailer windows. Jughead and his bike were gone, and she was suddenly infuriated with herself.

"Wait what? Jughead as in your brothers' best friend? Jughead as in the boy you've had a crush on since we were preteens?"

"That would be the one…" she sighed, her palm meeting her forehead in a huff.

"Betty! He tried to kiss you and you didn't let him!? Spill, now!" Josie scolded.

"I panicked!" Betty told her. "He just kept leaning in and I didn't know what to do. He told me he didn't care what my brother thought anymore. It seriously felt like I was in slow motion, yet everything was happening so fast. I was overwhelmed and I didn't know what to do."

"Woah, B… That's the last thing I expected you to say."

"Tell me about it… I feel like I'm dreaming, there's no possible way this is real."

"What are you gonna do?" Josie asked her.

"I have no idea."

Jughead couldn't help but feel like more of an idiot. She was probably angry with him, maybe mortified with herself. _What had he just done? _He knew he probably just ruined any chance he had at getting to know her better. Jughead drove a little way from the trailer park. He pulled over to a service road and cut the engine on his bike. He ripped the helmet from his head in anger and threw to the ground in a huff. Jughead ran a hand through his unruly hair and caught a whiff of Betty's perfume that remained on his jacket. He just couldn't help himself. He could never get enough of her, _seeing her. _She'd fled the scene of the crime and neither one of them offered up an explanation to their actions. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she had some sort of the same feelings for him that he did for her. He'd get to the bottom of it, but not tonight, he needed a plan.

Betty and Josie were walking the halls of Riverdale High. It was Friday, Betty hadn't seen or spoken to Jughead since he'd tried to kiss her two nights previous. She still caught herself cursing at herself whenever she got the chance. Did she dare get herself caught up in Jughead Jones' mess? She couldn't help but feel like some ploy and she truthfully had no idea where his miraculous bravery came from either. The Bulldog's game that night had been cancelled due to rain, it was all gloom and doom in the town. Which was fitting. Seeing as it's exactly how Betty felt. She had picked up a shift at Pop's and secretly she hoped Jughead would continue the streak of picking her up. Even without telling him, he seemingly always knew when she'd need a ride. She was mortified with herself and honestly doubted that he'd put himself in the place for rejection again.

Pop's Chocklit Shoppe was a hot commodity on the gloomy and rainy Friday night. The place had been packed, going on hour three, and Betty's feet were killing her. Her ankle had been throbbing since the beginning of hour two, but she tired her hardest to keep busy and not think about it. The back corner had been fully occupied by no other than the entire cheerleading squad. They'd been slurping down various flavored milkshakes and eating cheat day fries for a few hours.

"Um Betty," Cheryl waved her over for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Betty had given her the tables bill, upon Cheryl's request, and she was ready to run and ride when the redhead called her back.

"Yes, Cheryl?" Betty mustered up as much sweetness as she could.

"There's no way this is right- I mean, twenty-one milkshakes. That's a little excessive."

Betty took a huge breath, grounding herself before opening her mouth again. "You brought the entire team Cheryl."

"That's only fourteen." Cheryl attempted to remind her.

"And some people had two." Betty nearly seethed. Trying her hardest to keep her eyes from rolling.

"Whatever," Cheryl muttered with an irritated shrug. "I refuse to pay for it."

"Cheryl!" Betty nearly shouted. "You can't do that!"

"Watch me." The fiery haired bombshell spat. Suddenly Josie stood and attempted to step between them.

"How about we split it?" Josie turned to Cheryl. She opened her wallet and handed Betty her dads AMEX.

"Josie…"

"Go Betty," Josie ushered. "I'll figure out the rest."

"Come here." Betty grabbed her best friends' arm and tugged her behind the counter. "You can't keep fighting my battles for me." Betty muttered, feeling sorry for Josie.

"I'm not. I'm just trying to keep the peace."

"By using over half your months allowance. Your dad is gonna kill you."

"No, he won't. I'll figure it out. Now go… run the card. I'll get the other half from Cheryl." Josie walked back to the squad's booth and Betty regretfully ran the card as she'd been told. She'd just finished when Josie walked up to the counter with Cheryl's card.

"She's tipping." Betty said, grabbing the card from Josie. Josie laughed under her breath and shook her head.

"Well yeah, I'm not that naïve…" The girls laughed together as Betty charged the card for the remaining total and Pop's gratuity policy.

"Remind me to never let her do this again." Betty handed the card back to Josie with the roll of her eyes. Josie nodded and went to give the plastic bank back to Cheryl.

Betty wished the last few stragglers a good night and collapsed into one of the dirty booths. It was the first time she'd sat down all night and she honestly wondered if she'd be able to get back up.

"You okay, Betty?" Katy asked Betty. Katy was the other server for the night and Betty was utterly grateful because without her Betty wouldn't have been able to keep up with the night's crowds.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just a little tired." Betty told her.

"I think I'm just going to finish up sweeping over here and then I'm going to head out, sound good?"

"Yeah, Katy." Betty smiled with a nod.

Betty wished Katy a good night and said she'd see her at school the next day. She let out another huff in exasperation and exhaustion. She rubbed at her ankle and tried to ease some of the tension that had built up in it. She sat down to eat the sandwich the cook had made her before he'd left. It was ten minutes after ten and a break was exactly what she needed. She scrolled through various social media apps on her phone. She could see the lightning outside followed by a rippling rumble of angry thunder. A sudden knock on the door startled her, she jumped out of the booth, her muscles screaming at her in protest.

"Jughead?" She said once she saw him through the door. It was pouring sheets and she could see that he was dripping wet. She quickly unlocked the door and let him in. She helped him out of his wet leather jacket once he was inside the dinner. "What are you doing here?" She muttered. She could see the goosebumps rise on his skin at the cold and she grabbed him a dry towel from the counter to dry his face and hands.

"I came to pick you up." He told her. She poured him a hot cup of coffee and handed it to him. The lights flickered above them and they both glanced around. "It's getting bad out there."

"I still have quite a bit to do, you feel like waiting around for a bit?"

"You got anymore pie?" He simpered and she smiled. She got him a slice from the cooler and warmed it quickly, she grabbed the remainder of her sandwich from the booth she'd been sitting in before he arrived and sat next to him at the bar top. Her knee nudged against his and it was the cold wet contact against her bare flesh that made her shiver. In honesty, she thought she might throw up. Her stomach did a somersault as she tried not to watch him from the side of her eye. Neither one of them spoke and the room quietly echoed with the rain hitting the tin roof above them. "Don't worry Betts… I'm not going to try and kiss you again."

"Jug…" She knew that the sound stuck in her throat and a part of her couldn't help but sink. She felt like she could be swallowed up by the amount of awkward tension in the room. His words dug at her heart, and she so badly wanted to tell him that she wanted him to do just that.

"It's okay." He nudged her knee again with a soft smile. She wasn't sure exactly how to go on. "I drove by earlier, it looked busy."

"It was, you have no idea." She took a quick bite of her sandwich. "You don't have your bike, do you?"

"No," he laughed a little. "I barrowed my dad's truck."

"Oh, thank goodness." She told him. She didn't know that his thoughts were exactly where hers were because the thought of her deliciously wrapped around him again had him reeling and the fact that it wasn't going to happen was the biggest downfall of his night. "Why didn't you stop by?"

"What?"

"Earlier… you could've stopped in." She told him and she did mean it.

"I was with Chic and some of the guys…"

"So?" She searched his face. "Is that what this is always gonna be like?"

"Betty…"

"We can be friends, can't we?" Betty asked him. She didn't completely know what she was looking for. Jughead cursed at himself internally- he didn't want to be her goddamned friend. "I mean, I thought we were friends." She grew quiet.

"Yeah Betts…" He never said the word _friend _and she didn't exactly know what he meant. He squeezed her knee for reassurance before he ran a finger over her cheek. She simpered in his touch against her skin, closing her eyes and leaning into it. She exhaled sharply, relaxing the tension that had built up in her body. His hand dropped back to her thigh and she smiled softly into his eyes.

Betty had finished up her work and they left the dinner. The awkward tension never shifted or left from between them. She'd kept her distance and nearly hugged the door of Jughead's fathers' old rickety truck. He kept his hand out flesh against the single torn leather seat the entire drive to the trailer park. Perhaps he was waiting for her to grab it or make a move, but she couldn't_, she wouldn't_. Chic was always stuck in the back of her head. She could never kick him from her thoughts no matter how hard she tried. She muttered a "thank you," and "goodnight," to him and almost slipped from the truck, the wet railing and her frantic state made for a dangerous combination. Jughead didn't walk her to her trailer and she nearly jogged through the now light rain.

She stepped inside and her mother was fast asleep on the couch. Betty threw her head back against her bedroom door in frustration and it made an audible thud. She cursed at herself once more. What the hell was she doing? And what the hell did her want with her?


	4. Chapter 4: Candles & Kisses

"Happy Birthday Betty!" Some random person yelled to her as she walked down the hall. She'd heard it all day, mostly from people she barely knew at all and more so from people that she was shocked even knew her name. The age of 18 was made out to be such a cinematic time, but frankly Betty didn't see the big deal in it. Sure, she he could buy cigarettes, but she didn't smoke so that was a bust. She could register to vote, because her one meek voice mattered so much to the community around her, right? She also knew nothing about politics, so she'd probably cause more harm than good. She could get a tattoo, which honestly sounded the most appealing out of her newfound _freedom._

Betty had mumbled "thank you," after "thank you," all day long. She'd finally met up with Josie before last period and was thankful the school day was almost over.

"You ready for tonight?" Josie quizzed her.

"It's no different than what we do every other year. We order pizza and paper view movies, try and get your older sister to buy us booze…" Betty started. "But it never works. So, we end up engorged on ice cream until were sick and too tired to move." She finished with a laugh. "Sounds like a great way to spend my birthday."

"That it does." Josie muttered. "And uh- my parents won't be home tonight so what time do you plan on coming over?"

"Don't I usually just go with you right after school?" Betty said confused as she opened her locker.

"Well yeah, but I kinda sorta made plans with Veronica. So, I was thinking maybe you could come over around sixish…"

"Josie…" Betty nearly whined.

Veronica Lodge was a dimmed witted rich girl that goes to Buxley. It's a prep school just outside of town. Josie met Veronica at a fashion camp she attended last summer in New York. When the two found out that they actually lived so close to each other, they spend time together whenever they got the chance. Betty wasn't the jealous type, but she'd met Veronica a handful of times at different parties and school get togethers and she honestly didn't understand all of the hype. Sure, Veronica was uber gorgeous, Betty could at least give the girl that but sometimes the things that came out of her mouth couldn't keep Betty from either laughing or rolling her eyes at the raven-haired girl.

"I know B, I know… But I promised her and it's important."

"More important than my birthday?" Betty's voice began to pitch, and she tried to conceal it.

"I promise I'll make it up to you B." Josie muttered meaningfully, placing a hand on Betty's wrist.

"You better."

Betty let out a huff and dropped her book bag to the floor. She wiped the back of her hand at the beads of sweat that had grown on her brow from her walk home. She smiled when she saw a note on the table.

_Happy Birthday, Magoo- Love, Mom _

Her mother had paired it with a pack of _Reese's_ peanut butter cups_. Her favorite. _Sheopened the bright orange packaging, deciding she could indulge in at least one of the cups of chocolate and peanutbutter goodness. Betty took a bite and hummed at the deliciousness. It made her day a little bit better. She wiped the corner of her mouth with her finger and jumped at the loud bang of the front door. It was Chic, causing a ruckus as always.

"Ooh..." He seemingly muttered, swiping up the remaining candy from the table. He took a bite and Betty thought her eyes could've burned holes through his stupid leather jacket.

"Hey! That's mine!" She reached for it and Chic dodged her. "Chic!"

"Happy Birthday little sis." Chic said sarcastically. With a Cheshire smile, he took another bite. "You don't need it anyway."

"Shut up, Chic… what are you doing here anyway?"

"I need some cash." He told her. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of cola. He cracked it open and took a huge gulp. Soon followed a large and loud belch from his alcohol tinged and jerky worn stomach.

"Mom's at work." Betty told him, walking to her room.

"Good thing you're here, Goo." He smiled at her again. He flopped on to her bed and Betty internally screamed.

"Not a chance." She let out a half laugh and began throwing clothes into a duffle bag for her nighttime stay at Josie's. "Here's an idea- get a job." She finished with the slam of her dresser drawer. She threw a t-shirt and shorts into the bag on her bed. "Your always at the Wyrm, why don't you ask them for a job?"

"Because I don't want a job… what makes you think I wanna do actual work?" Chic told her. Betty scoffed and shook her head at her brother's stupidity.

"I'm not giving you money, Chic." Betty said. She threw the bag over her shoulder and pulled down on her sweater.

"I'll tell mom you snuck out last weekend…" Chic spat. Betty went pale at his words and crossed her arms over her chest.

"She won't believe you."

"She won't? Chic asked. He stood from the bed and walked closer to Betty. She adjusted her neck to look at him, her arms still crossed across her chest. Chic suddenly fished his phone from nowhere and showed Betty the screen. It was a picture of her with her hand on the chest of the football player she'd tried to seduce at Jobey's party. She squeezed out a small gasp and curled her toes into the carpet. She made a pucker noise with her mouth and closed her eyes. Her mother had just lifted her previous grounding, early at that. Betty knew she couldn't afford another lecture from her mother, or another grounding.

Suddenly Chic grabbed her forearm and she gasped. "Don't test me Magoo." His voice was stern. It wasn't the first time he'd put a hand on her or used a strong voice, but it never failed to scare her, and he knew it. She pulled a twenty-dollar bill from the back pocket of her jeans with her other hand and handed it to him. His grasp was strong, and she knew it'd leave a mark. He let go of her arm dramatically, pulling the bill at both ends with a snap. "Thanks, sis." He smiled again. He left her room and Betty rubbed at her arm where his grasp had been.

"Asshole." She muttered.

Josie McCoy lived on the northside of town. She had two parents, Sean and Sierra McCoy, and an older sister named Harper. It was the perfect cookie cutter American family, if you'd find one in a magazine. Sean owned a real-estate company and Sierra worked from home. Betty wasn't quite sure what to consider her job title, but the specifics never really seemed to matter. They lived in a big house, that surprisingly didn't have a white picket fence. As cliché as it was, the McCoy's were actually extremely nice people. They were genuine. They knew about Betty's situation, after all Betty and Josie had been basically attached at the hip since they were seven. The McCoy's were there for her whenever she needed them to be, but she also knew that they probably didn't know just how grateful she was to have them in her life.

It was closing in on six o'clock and Betty was on her way to Josie's. She'd called a cab, not being able to get ahold of Chic and she didn't dare try and ask Jughead. He'd texted her and told her Happy Birthday, she appreciated that he'd gone out of his way to wish her a good day, yet all she'd sent him back was a smiley face emoji. Betty hadn't bothered to change out of what she'd worn to school. Her hair was still holding its light curl at her shoulders, she had on a lavender colored sweater with white and silver detail on the collar and end of each sleeve. She'd paired it with some high waisted denim jeans with rips in the knees and some taupe booties that she'd borrowed from Josie- just for the day. She looked cute and honestly, her birthday was the one day of the school year that Betty put any kind of effort into how she looked. It made her feel special when nothing else in her life really did.

She'd just pulled up to Josie's house and paid the cab driver when her phone pinged in her pocket. She fished for it and thankfully it was just Josie.

**J: I set the alarm on the front door, come to the back (:**

Betty looked at the screen confused but didn't think much of it. She walked around the side of the house, holding her duffel bag closer to her side. She'd reached the back door and nearly all of the lights were off in the house. She was suddenly extremely freaked out.

"Josie?" Betty yelled. "What's going-"

"SURPRISE!"

Betty jumped when suddenly a bunch of people jumped out from behind various furniture. The lights coming on nearly blinded her, but soon a smile took over her face. The entire cheerleading squad was there, even Cheryl. Most of the football team and some of her other classmates. She noticed Josie and Veronica first, smiling at her and sharing in her happiness. Betty felt her heart fill, she felt warm and couldn't believe what was happening. This was all for her, her party, and she suddenly loved her best friend so much more.

"Josie? Oh my gosh…" Betty gloated.

"It was all Veronica's idea. I just went along with it."

"Veronica?"

"Guilty as charged." Veronica piped, raising her hand slightly and smiling.

"Thank you." Betty said cheerfully, pulling the brunette in for a hug. She took Veronica by surprise, but she happily returned it.

"But how?"

"Well… Veronica mentioned throwing you a surprise party and I thought it was a great idea. So, I got the word out, word spread, and here we are."

"You honestly had no idea?" Veronica questioned.

"No idea." Betty held her hands up. "I definitely didn't expect this." She looked around the room in awe. Everyone had started to mingle. There were a few people that she didn't know, or at least she didn't recognize them. She thought perhaps maybe they went to Buxley with Veronica.

"Well, you only turn eighteen once." Veronica muttered matter-of-factly. She grabbed three red solo cups and gave them out. "To Betty." She raised her glass.

"Cheers to that." Josie nearly yelled.

"To Betty!" a bunch of people yelled, and Betty laughed into her cup almost spitting everywhere. She couldn't believe that this was the way she was celebrating her eighteenth birthday.

Josie made Betty change into something a little more party chic. It was a strappy black jumpsuit, courtesy of Veronica, that accentuated her long legs perfectly. Veronica had helped pin her hair halfway up, so the length was still stealing the show but her collar bones, that now had a shimmer highlighting powder on them, had a little time to shine too. She borrowed a pair of Josie's heels and with a little makeup, she honestly could barely recognize herself. She'd begun to mingle with some of the guests. Learning in fact that the strangers were from Buxley and they were surprisingly really nice. Betty kind of felt bad for thinking so little of them and Veronica.

"Hey B." Veronica suddenly interrupted her conversation with one of the girls.

"Yeah?"

"There's someone outside that would like to see you…"

"What?"

"He said it was important that he see you. I don't know who it is but if you don't jump on that horse honey, I sure will." Veronica started to ramble, and all Betty could do was roll her eyes. "He's in the backyard." Betty could all but hang with her mouth open. Veronica walked away and Betty thought about bolting. Breath rattled in her lungs as she walked to the back of the house. She knew it was Jughead, who else would it be?

Then she saw him. He was pacing the edge of the pool and holding a large envelope. What could he possibly want and how did he know where to find her? She contemplated just not going outside at all. Would he leave? Would he come inside to find her? Betty finally worked up enough courage to open the back door. Jughead turned at the sound and stopped his pacing, walking a little closer to the patio. Betty took a deep breath of her own before she chose to descend the stairs of the back door. Her hands balled in front of her. She toyed with a ring on her finger when he finally met in front her. Neither of them said a word as they stood there for a moment. He wasn't close enough to where she could feel him on her skin, but she didn't dare look into his eyes. He finally took the knuckle of his index finger and nudged her chin up, getting her to finally look at him. Then he took her hand, which only made her glance down again as he toyed with her fingers.

Jughead sighed and abruptly turned, nearly dragging her with him. He had a grip on her hand and didn't stop until they were well on the side of the house. For a long moment, Jughead simply stared at her. His scent taunted her. A touch of spice and leather without being overpowering, rugged, and wood. Is what she'd describe it as. He looked nice. Surprisingly he'd lost his signature leather jacket and had exchanged it for an all-black button down and dark jeans. She tried for a second to imagine it was his clothes that she was concerned with.

"What the hell," he muttered. It was a sound of resignation, as if he were finally giving in to some unknown force.

Before Betty could even respond, he hauled her forward so that she landed against his chest. Her mouth flew open in surprise and a small sigh escaped. Her lips were so close to his. Tantalizingly close. _Was this it?_ Betty could feel his breath on her face. His jaw was tight and bulging as if he was holding himself back from something. And then he seemed to lose the battle.

Jughead's mouth crashed down over hers. She had no idea what to do, but oh God, she loved it. His hands went to her face and his tongue flicked against her upper lip, and Betty just chose to follow his lead, hoping he didn't notice just how _innocent_ she actually was. Her hands went to his forearms. He possessed her with just a kiss. Betty thought, if this is what it feels like now, she couldn't wait until she actually knew what she was doing. In just a span of time, she decided she was owned by Jughead Jones.

Betty sighed, allowing herself to completely melt into his embrace. She became boneless, seeking and wanting more of what she'd never had. She'd dreamed and thought of this moment since what had felt like forever but nothing, _nothing_, could ever amount to the real thing. She wanted more. More of him. His heat, his touch, that sinful mouth. She thought she could sense a sliver of apprehension and yet she felt all but devoured.

His teeth grazed over her bottom lip and nipped at its fullness. God, the man knew how to kiss. He followed it by the sensual lap of his tongue, and then soft sweet kisses over the bow of her mouth.

"God help me, but I've wanted to do that for the longest time," he said in a raspy voice.

She was stunned. Her legs wobbled and shook, and she prayed she wouldn't go down, a victim of the heels she was wearing. Nothing could've prepared her for what had just happened. Jughead Jones had kissed her.

Her lips still tingled. She was utterly wrecked. It was like having a total buzz, the highest of highs. She hadn't had that much to drink so she knew damn well she wasn't reacting to the alcohol. It was him. Pure and simple. He was lethal to her senses.

"You look amazing," he managed.

"Thank you." Was all she could mutter. Her senses were reeling, and she couldn't quite come to terms with the fact the Jughead Jones had just kissed her. He moved in close again and she felt her pulse quicken. He swallowed and it all but consumed her. Her breath was ragged and tight.

"Meet me tomorrow."

"W-why?" she stammered out.

"Here." He handed her the large envelope that she forgot he had. He pulled it from his back pocket. He leaned in and placed she smallest flutter kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, her eyes were fluttering open and she was leaning to him, wanting more. "Happy Birthday, Goo."

With that he was gone. He'd left her there in a swarm of confusion. Her scalp prickled as she heard his bike start up and rev away, but she just stood where she was for a moment. She felt completely wrecked but oh so _good. _She couldn't believe what had just happened. She couldn't even be mad at him for using her despised nickname, because it had just taken on a whole new meaning. She replayed his kiss in her head a few times, her fingertips on her still tingling lips. She remembered the envelope and opened it carefully, unwrapping the thin string from the cream-colored paper button. She pulled out a large stack of paper, complete with a cover page.

"The River's Edge." She read aloud to herself. _By Jughead Jones._ Holy Shit. It was his novel. The one he had told her about so many nights previous. The one he promised to let her read some day. Well now seemed to be someday and she suddenly wanted to ditch her own party. Her thoughts raced. _Why hadn't he stayed?_ She suddenly realized that he'd asked her to meet him the following day. _Meet him where?_ She didn't know, but something told her he'd find her.

Jughead Jones didn't know what had come over him. He was a fucking wreck and honestly wanted nothing more than to turn his bike around and run straight back into her arms. She'd seeped into his brain in a way he didn't know if he'd ever understand, ever since that night he'd brought her to his trailer. Maybe it was because she was finally eighteen, he didn't know. Maybe he was only using it to justify his thoughts. But he knew she wasn't a little girl anymore. Jughead had never thought of Betty as any more than someone he knew he should protect. Had a draw to her always been there? _Possibly. _

Honestly, he'd never admit if he didn't think about her in a way more than her big brothers' best friend should._ Jesus_, that was so complicated. He never saw himself betraying Chic in such a disastrous and maybe even disgusting way. But he felt a draw now, this unforsaken feeling of want that had all of the sudden consumed him all while feeling thrift and familiar. He'd lied to himself for so long about his feelings for her. He'd hidden them, a lot of the time from even himself, he couldn't let himself go there. He always felt grounded around her, a feeling that had never gone away. Even before this oddity of desire he now felt for her. Jughead was so comfortable around her, she made him feel more like himself than even Chic did sometimes. She was special, and beautiful; and _he wanted her_… More than he'd ever wanted anything in his life.

Betty didn't know how long she'd been gone or standing there. She just continued to stare out at the well-manicured street, hoping he'd coming back. _Wanting him to come back._ The goosebumps rose on her skin as she thought of their kiss once more. She bit her finger with her front teeth and smiled against its pad. She felt so dazed and she hadn't even noticed Josie standing behind her, calling out to her.

"Betty?" Josie coaxed once more, slightly concerned.

"Huh-what?" Betty suddenly broke from her utterly dreamy state of mind.

"Are you okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine Jos."

"What'd he want?" Josie quizzed her.

"Who?"

"Jughead… Jesus Betty."

"Oh yeah."

"Yeah." Josie seemingly nodded.

"He um- he just wanted to tell me Happy Birthday." Betty decided that it was a sufficient enough excuse. Technically she wasn't lying.

"That's it?" Josie muttered. "Seems like he went through an awful lot of trouble just for that." Betty simpered in the thought of telling her best friend the truth.

"What do you mean?" Betty asked her.

"He called me this afternoon. He heard about the party from one of the younger Serpent's and asked for the address…"

"Oh." Betty smiled at his admiration. Jughead Jones had just kissed her. Not just kissed her but gloriously worshiped and consumed her. She didn't, however, know exactly what he wanted or what it meant. Frankly, she didn't know what she wanted out of it either. She knew one thing for sure. Jughead would kiss her again if she had anything to say about it. "Just drop it Jos, okay?" Betty muttered, almost pleadingly. Josie rolled her eyes at the mysterious blonde bombshell before walking over and grabbing her hand, dragging her after her.

"C'mon, Veronica and I have a surprise for you."


	5. Chapter 5: Bonding Secrets

Jughead wiped his greasy hands on the towel hooked to his belt loop. He wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his brow, the mid-October afternoon being oddly warm. Jughead stood from the vintage Chevy he'd been working on for what seemed like weeks. He squinted out to the street, covered in fallen leaves of orange, yellow and brown. The wind picked a few up and blew them out of him view. He pulled at the towel and wiped his forehead with it, before leaning over the truck once more. He was thankful that Tallboy had been willing to give him a job, and while he pictured himself working on old Harley's instead of Chevy trucks, it was still money in his pocket so he couldn't complain.

He couldn't drift his mind from a particular blonde, with her green eyes and long legs. He knew giving her his manuscript was a risk, but it was a risk he was willing to take in the moment. Now sitting at work, not hearing from her since her party, his last memory of her being his lips on her luscious mouth, he was cursing at himself for giving into his urges all while missing her at the same time. He suddenly threw a hand down next him, the metal ricocheted and let out a loud bang at the vibration.

"You good, man?" Fangs Fogarty suddenly rang out. He'd been working on the back end of the truck and couldn't help but notice Jughead's agitation. He was a fellow Serpent with him and Chic.

"Yeah man, I'm fine." Jughead told him, brushing him off. Fangs shook his head and wiped his hands before getting back to work.

Jughead knew that getting involved with Betty was beyond stupid. There was no way in hell he'd convince her to do it his way. Chic could never know. He was sure she'd be on board with that, but he also knew it wasn't fair or practical. It wasn't fair to her, to make her keep him a secret and frankly, Jughead didn't know if he wanted to keep her a secret. The amount of loyalty the girl had for her big brother was inane, but Jughead would never want to jeopardize that for her. He didn't know where his random admiration, want, and need for her had come from. Even now that he'd gotten his way and claimed her lips, he had no idea where his head was at. _She did that to him._ He could only imagine her, in her bed, reading his novel- horrified at the words he'd written. It'd been over twelve hours and he had yet to hear from her. _Hell,_ he hadn't even told her where to meet him.

Jughead stood from the truck in exasperation from his rummaging thoughts. He decided it was time for a break. He cleaned up some of his tools and heard Fangs clear his throat.

"We got company, Boss." He muttered. Jughead turned around and squinted at the sun filled open garage doors. Betty stood with a hand on her hip and the large envelope in her other. She had on denim overalls that cut off midthigh, which gloriously showed off her long legs. She'd paired them with a stripped black and white crop top and ankle boots. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail that swayed back and forth at her shoulders and she'd finished it off with a knotted red bandana around her head. She represented the current surrounding so well and it almost made Jughead laugh. His breath hitched at the sight of her and when his gaze finally met her eyes, he wasn't prepared for what he saw.

Betty was pissed.

He walked up to meet her stance in the frame of the large metal door. She could stare daggers right into him if she really wanted to. Jughead looked back at Fang's who seemed to not care at all and went back to work. He looked at her in the eyes, but she couldn't meet his. There was an unspoken tension between them and Jughead knew in the moment… she wanted him just as bad as he did her.

Betty couldn't breathe. Her breath was caught in her throat, her lungs were slightly heaving, and it wasn't because she'd just walked four blocks from the Whyte Wyrm. She'd been looking for him for an hour, but nothing could've prepared her for when she actually saw him. She saw Fang's under an old truck behind Jughead's figure. She finally looked into his midnight blue eyes and exhaled before she grabbed his hand in her own and dragged him to the side of the shop. He grabbed her then. His hands met her face and he hauled her into the blue painted brick backing of the wall. He swallowed her gasp and put his mouth over hers. He seethed when her hands met his waist for a split second. She could feel the cool brick at her shoulder blades and the back of her calves. She simpered in the pressure of his lips for a moment. It's the only thing she'd thought about since the previous night, she was going to let herself enjoy it for a moment.

It ended just as quickly as it started. Betty used her arms to push against his abdomen and she shoved his heat away from her. She was pissed and confused, and he was gonna know it.

"What the hell is this?" She questioned him, as she held up the envelope that housed his manuscript.

"I think you know what that is Betts…" He told her. She seemed not to accept his answer and shook her head with her tongue in her cheek. "Did you read it?"

"Of course, I read it!" Her voice rose in pitch and volume after she let out a scoff. "How could you?" She asked him. "How could you write this and not tell me?"

"Betty…" he weaned. His voice had hints of emotion that she couldn't quite dissect, and it never failed to frustrate her.

"How long?" Betty asked him. "How long have you had these feelings Jug?" She didn't want to get emotional, but she could hear her own voice shake, the words getting stuck in her throat. She threw the envelope to ground in anger. "Answer me!"

"I don't know!" He lurched at her and pushed her back into the wall. "Awhile…" was all he offered through a whisper.

"It's about me, Jug…" she muttered. "You wrote it about me." She didn't offer it as a question. It was a true statement that she knew as fact without him even telling her.

"I know, Betts."

Betty had spent the entire night, after all of the party guests had left, reading Jughead's novel. She hadn't slept at all except for the three hours she'd gotten in that morning after she'd crashed from exhaustion. She couldn't believe it at first… so she kept reading, but the similarities between her and his protagonist just got harder and harder to deny and when she'd reached the climax it had her heart shattering. She was sure towards the middle of the stack of printer paper, he'd find streaked ink if he went back through it because she'd shed some tears over his words.

It wasn't anything like she'd expected it to be. It surrounded a murder in a small town, teen's that went to parties and football games. The main character was a girl, she worked at the local drive up, lived with a single father, and had an overprotective big brother. She'd fallen into a forbidden relationship with a brooding biker that she knew her brother would never approve of. Their relationship moved fast, and he revealed he'd harbored feelings for her for years. When it turned out that the man she'd fallen into forbidden love with, had framed her brother for the murder he didn't commit… Betty didn't know how it ended, she hadn't gotten that far. Jughead had named the main character _Bethany_, and perhaps that'd been the hardest part for Betty to get around.

Jughead's palm met her cheek and she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes and unable to help herself. "Is it true…" she whispered. She could feel him tighten his hold on her cheek and she toyed with the fingers of his other hand that laid at their waists.

"Are you mad?" He muttered simply. She sat in his words for a moment. Betty didn't offer him the satisfaction or give him any sign to think she wasn't. She pushed her toes to the ground through her boots, making sure that the moment was real. She opened her eyes to meet his and just about got lost in the ocean that overtook her soul. Betty took a leap of faith. She placed her right palm against his cheek and mirrored the position that he had on her. She leaned into his face and she could feel him suck in a quick breath. She couldn't help the small smirk that spread across her cheeks, knowing the control she had over him. She placed her lips on his but didn't offer any pressure.

"No." she muttered flesh against his pout before she finally took his mouth. She let her arms wrap around Jughead's neck and his hand went to her sides. She could feel him squeezing there, the rough of his thumbs coming in perfect contact with the small patches of skin offered up by her crop top and the low side cut of her overalls.

Betty felt branded. She was giving him all of her, but she felt like she was taking nothing from him, and she panicked. She clammed, which she was notorious for, her mouth went slack and almost as if they were the same person- Jughead seized.

"Betty…" He whispered. She placed her forehead on his chest and took a few deep breaths with her heaving chest. He put a hand on the back of her neck to steady her. "What's wrong?" The blush on her cheeks rose blissfully. She was utterly lost, and she wanted nothing more to continue this with him. It was hot, she felt so hot, but she had utterly no idea what she was doing- literally and figuratively.

"Juggie…" it was a nickname she'd created to tease him when they were children, a nickname that she'd outgrown, but it seemingly slipped from her lips in the heavy moment. "I don't know what you want." She said with a heavyweight shrug. Jughead looked at her with confusion in his eyes, he wasn't sure exactly what part of what they were doing she was referring to.

"What?" he whispered. Betty met his clouded eyes once more and just shook her head. She was embarrassed and in no way had she ever expected to be in this position. In the dark, outside of Josie's house, _on her birthday_, it'd been fine. Her being blissfully unaware and innocent was okay, Jughead had given her everything that night and she'd given nothing to him. But _now_, he'd want more, he'd _expect_ more- and it terrified her to no avail.

His scent of still lingering morning cologne and sweat overwhelmed her senses and she wanted to flee. She tried to walk out his reach, she left the brick at her back and couldn't meet his eyes. "Goo?" Jughead reached for her arm and caught it in his grasp. She hissed at the contact and he looked at her again with confusion and uneasiness. Betty looked at his hand on her arm, Jughead pulled her back to him and examined her forearm. "What happened…" there was a clear imprint of fingerprint bruises. Four patches of faint blue, purple, yellow, and brown. The bruises that Chic had left there the previous afternoon.

"Jug…"

"Who the hell put their hand's you?" His voice grew stern. Protective. Betty thought she should be frightened, but honestly it only made her burn a little more. "Tell me." Jughead was cursing at himself for not noticing sooner. He felt this overwhelming drive of shielding anger and he wanted to hit something. He could tell that her eyes were turning glazy, it was a side he'd never seen from her, and it terrified him. From his gaze she'd always been unstoppable, she was rebellious, and she liked to talk back. This wasn't the Betty he knew which only made him more confused. Maybe he didn't know her at all.

"Hey, Jughead." Fangs broke them from their own little world. "I could really use some help with this radiator and Tallboy is looking for you…" Jughead didn't take his eyes from Betty. He simply let out a frustrated sigh and seemed to nod.

"Tell him I'll be right there…" He muttered.

"You got it." Fangs saluted and walked off again, wiping his greasy hands on the towel he'd been holding.

"It was Chic wasn't it?" Jughead suddenly muttered. She hadn't said a word and yet he knew. Her eyes grew a size and her demeanor changed and he instantly knew he was right. "I'm gonna kill him." Jughead said forcefully.

"Jug, no…" Betty grabbed at his arm to steady him, watching the rage burn in his eyes.

"It's not the first time it's happened is it?" He presumed and watched the fear take over her face again. She shook her head slowly and now he _really_ wanted to hit something. He rubbed his palm across his mouth in frustration. "Betty…"

"It's okay Jug, I'm okay."

"It's not okay, Goo!" His voice raised and he watched her shoulders jump at him tone. He never had any intention of ever instilling fear into her, that's not who he was, but this new truth about his best friend had him spiraling. Jughead suddenly realized that there was so much he didn't know about her and it left him reeling.

"What are we doing, Jug?" She asked him. Her tone was meek, and he didn't quite know how to take her. Jughead stepped closer to her and he put a hand on her neck, leaning her head up to meet his gaze.

"I can't stay away from you…" He muttered. He leaned down and picked up his novel that she'd thrown in anger, "Keep this." He said. "Come to my trailer tonight." He kissed her again. Quick and forcefully, giving her no time to pull away like previous. Betty felt her heavy heart pinch in her chest. He also didn't give her a chance to argue with him. He left her there with a muck filled brain on the side of the brick building. She let out an audible sigh and her palm met her forehead. She felt like screaming and crying all at the same time, she'd pent up all of her emotions and Jughead had threated to unravel all of them.

Suddenly a loud and obnoxious exhaust startled her. She recognized the backfire the bike let out immediately and she ducked on the side of the building. Chic climbed off the motorcycle and she watched as he shuffled his dirty blonde hair and adjusted his leather jacket. He was greeted by Fangs and took him into a brotherhood hug. Betty prayed audibly for Fangs not to mention anything about her presence around the shop that afternoon. She heard Chic ask for Jughead as he made his way further into the shop. She took her chance and snuck around the back of the building. She made it about three blocks before her phone pinged from her overalls pocket. She knew it was Jughead, but she didn't instantly look at it. She'd let him lick his wounds a little. She knew it probably took everything in Jughead not to punch the arrogant smirk off of Chic's face when he saw him, and she cursed under her breath. _This is how it would be_, she thought.

Betty stood outside Jughead's trailer. She pulled down on the sides of her leather jacket. She'd gotten the Serpent printed leather when she turned sixteen. She'd been told that it represented some unspoken protection from the gang across the River. They called themselves the Greendale Goulies but Betty had never had any sort of run in with them and she honestly thought they were some myth that the Serpents created to instill fear and boast themselves up. Needless to say- she never wore it. It collected dust and stayed in good condition hung in her closet. She played with the silver button on the left sleeve and bit her bottom lip. She'd let her hair lay long against her shoulders and back. Her dark leggings offered little protection against the cold that bit at her exposed skin, but she couldn't bring herself to knock. Her hands were shaking, and she felt like she might throw up. She didn't know exactly why she was so nervous. She could've just not come, but there wasn't a doubt that Jughead wouldn't find her anyway. She seemed to think that he always got what he wanted. She knew she needed answers, they couldn't continue whatever it was that they were doing without some sort of clarity or boundaries. She used her thoughts to justify her reasoning and mustered up as much of her depleted courage as she could and knocked briskly against his door.

Jughead opened the door immediately and searched the area around and behind her before her took her arm and pulled her into his trailer. She could never deny or ignore the intensity and electricity that flew through her veins when he came in contact with her skin. She took a deep breath and a step away from him. She decided she needed to be straight forward.

"I need answers Jug." She told him, austerely.

"What do you want Betty?" He flipped her own question on her from earlier in the day. He could tell it wasn't what she'd expected him to say. He'd begun to learn her quirks. The way her brow furrowed slightly when she was confused, and the way she bit her bottom lip when she was anxious or nervous had begun to drive him fucking crazy.

"I don't know…" she whispered honestly with a wholehearted shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know what I'm doing." She shrugged once more and the truth she'd been trying to speak seemed to finally hit him. She genuinely had no idea what she was doing, she was terrified, but not of him. He took a few steps closer to her and looked down at her face. Jughead could feel her exhale against his face and he took both of her hands in his and laced their fingers together.

"Is this what you're scared of?" He was so intimately close to her and it had her whole body reeling with fire. She exhaled sharply before nodding to him and finally meeting his eyes. "Kiss me, Betty…" he muttered it so simply that she almost didn't register his words. She tried to pull her fingers out of his and he wouldn't let her, tightening the grip he already had on her. She shook her head with oomph and bit her bottom lip.

Jughead let go of one of her hands and pulled her over to the sofa. She stumbled after him and he sat down. He pulled her down and instructed her to straddle his lap. Her bottom lip was still stuck between her teeth as she pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. She did as she was told but she was utterly and completely terrified of the vulnerable position he had her in. He grabbed her face and leaned in. He sucked her top lip between his pout, and she exhaled sharply at the contact. He pulled away and she looked into his eyes as he gave her a nod.

"Now you do it…"

"Wh-What?" She feathered. He took her hands from their laps and placed them at his neck. Betty brought her hands around and toyed with the ends of his hair as she looked into his eyes.

"Don't think about it too much…" He muttered and she exhaled sharply again before she nodded. She leaned in put her forehead against his. Betty did exactly as Jughead did. She placed her lips gently over the top of his growing grin. Jughead's hands met back at the base of her chin, almost behind her ears. He leaned them back against the cushion of the sofa. He deepened their kiss and applied pressure of his own. He let her get used to the push and pull and suddenly felt guilty that he'd been so selfish with his own feelings that he hadn't noticed it before. This was such an intimate moment for them, one he never knew they would share.

His tongue dipped into her bottom lip and she let him into her mouth without protest. He suddenly felt hers at his lip and couldn't help the smile that spread through his mouth. He nodded against her mouth and hummed a reassuring response. _She was a natural_. They broke apart for air and he searched her eyes for approval. Her chest heaved a little, but she quickly reattached herself to his lips. Jughead let out a sound from his throat and she reveled in it. Their tongues suddenly met, warm and velvety, it wasn't like she'd expected it to be. But after all, all she had to compare it to was her hand and the full body mirror in her bedroom.

Betty could feel the warmth and tension gathering deep in her belly and the bulge growing between them, wasn't concealed well by their intimate position. She couldn't believe that she did that for him and it suddenly made her drive that much stronger. An unfamiliar and unpermitted sound left her throat and she could feel the blush rise in her cheeks. Jughead suddenly pushed her chin up with his thumbs and dove to her open throat with his mouth. He placed a few small lipped kisses before he sucked softly at her rapidly growing pulse. Betty pulled him back to her mouth and took stake in it. It felt so much better than it had on her birthday and she couldn't believe it, because even then it'd been amazing.

She was overheating. She took her hands from his face and gripped the lapels of her jacket. Her mouth never left his, but she felt his hands come off of her waist to help her pull the leather from her shoulders. She moved her hands to Jughead's upper arms and pulled her mouth away from his. She looked into his flooded irises and felt herself apply light pressure at his biceps. They were toned from all of the work he'd been doing for the Serpents. She ran her hands together up his arms and shoulders, meeting them at his neck again. She swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat, her ears burned, and she could feel her lips tingle.

"Juggie?" She nearly whimpered.

"What is it?" His thumbs were stroking the tops of her thighs and he could feel her sigh against him.

"I'm scared…" She admitted. "I like you." She whispered.

"Betts…" Jughead let out a sigh.

"The things you wrote in your book…" She began. "I've felt those same feelings for you ever since I can remember, and it scares me." She could see his eyes relax, but she also understood that he didn't know what to say to her. "What about Chic?" she asked him quietly, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We'll figure it out, Betts." He told her.

"He can't know…" She shook her head at him.

"You'd be willing to do that?"

"Do we really have a choice?" Her voice rose in pitch. "He'd kill you." She shoved his shoulder and Jughead let out a small laugh.

"I almost killed him today." Jughead muttered not meeting her eyes. His fingers grazed the bruises on her forearm. "Does it hurt?"

"Honestly, no." She told him truthfully.

"I'm sorry, Goo." His voice was genuine, and she knew he wasn't apologizing for her brother. "You don't deserve this…"

"Jug…" She took her fingers and lifted his chin to meet her eyes. "Do you know how many times I've thought about this moment…" She grabbed his face with both of her hands and her fingers toyed with the tops of his ears methodically. "Kissing you…" she nearly whispered. She leaned in and pecked his lips softly. "More…" the noise barely made it out of her throat as she pressed her forehead against his.

She'd put honest thought into what a relationship with Jughead would entail. Chic could never know, that she knew. Which also meant, no one could know. It was too dangerous. Her circle had to be small. Perhaps Jughead would get bored of her within a few weeks and she wouldn't have to worry about it. She didn't know what the seriousness of a relationship with him would entail. She still didn't know exactly what he wanted with her. But Betty knew how he made her feel. She felt safe with him. She knew he would listen to her and put her first, it's just who he was. She also knew kissing him was the best damn thing that had ever happened to her and in the moments where she got lost in him, his touch and embrace, she felt _way too damn good_ to think about the consequences of their actions.

"We're doing this?" He asked her simply. Jughead could feel her breathing against his lips and he simpered in. Not actually believing that she was there, in his lap, and willing to try what he was asking of her. Betty took a deep breath and nodded against him.

"I'll be your secret Jug."


	6. Chapter 6: Brevity

It'd been three weeks since Jughead had revealed his feelings for Betty. They'd continued to sneak around and so far, they were in the clear. He'd hate to admit it but sneaking around with her was a little fun. He'd pick her up from Pop's each time she had a shift. She'd run into his arms at his bike and he'd envelope her in a bear hug before they made out on his motorcycle for a few minutes. They had talked about his father and it made his heart tinge every time he realized how much Betty actually cared for him. She was so comfortable around him and he knew that she trusted him. It was honestly surreal to him, but even more to her because she couldn't understand it. Jughead had helped her apply to some colleges, filling out applications on her bed while her mother was at work and her brother was God knows where. It had ended with his shirt off and their lips swollen. She'd stopped them before they went too far. Her innocence had been stolen away by a baby tigress and she couldn't wait to push more boundaries with him.

Jughead had begun to learn more of what made Betty- Betty. She loved alkaline water, even though Jughead thought it was all bullshit. She liked pineapple on her pizza and hated mushrooms with a passion. She was extremely smart, which he already knew but he had also learned that she didn't know just how intelligent she was, and she was _horrible_ at accepting compliments. He loved to make her laugh and when the sound enveloped his ear, he'd wish it would never leave. His feelings for her scared him more than he thought they ever would.

Jughead watched Betty. The Riverdale Bulldogs were playing the Westchester Wolverines and he could tell she'd rather be anywhere else. Jughead leaned against the gate and crossed his arms. She was sitting on her cheer stool with a thumbnail in her mouth. She was obviously oblivious to his presence. Suddenly he noticed Josie looking at him, it was an unspoken conversation but Jughead nodded for her to alert Betty of his presence.

"Betty." Josie tapped her on the shoulder and broke her from her stupor.

"Huh?" Betty jumped, her thumb leaving her mouth. Josie gestured to the side of the bleachers and a smile immediately rose on Betty's face when she saw Jughead. She glanced around for Cheryl, who was fully engulfed in a conversation with one of the freshman cheerleaders.

"Go…" Josie ushered. "I'll cover for you if she asks."

"Thanks, Jos." Betty jumped up from the stool and snuck off of the track.

Betty had told Josie about her and Jughead two days after the whirlwind of her at his trailer and the two of them confessing their feelings for each other. She just couldn't keep something like that from her best friend. Josie hadn't believed her at first. But she knew Jughead was a good guy, so she had no protests to the idea. Well except the fact that they were one huge secret and nonexistent to everyone else. However, she also knew her best friends hard head and she wasn't about to sway her mind from giving into the fantasies she'd had since she was twelve.

"Hey you." Jughead said. Betty jumped into his arms with a giddy giggle. She kissed him and loved the way his strong hands felt on her hips. "Cute." He nudged at her bow with his fingers playfully.

"Stop!" She swatted his hand away and he laughed. "What are you doing here!?" She asked him.

"What do you think?" He asked her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I came to support my girl."  
"Jug…" She felt the blush rise in her cheeks. "I'm not even cheering."  
"Okay, then I guess I just came to _see_ my girl." Betty gave him a genuine smile and leaned in to kiss him once more. She loved him calling her _his girl._ She pulled away, scared someone would see them.

"Do you want to come to my trailer tonight?" She suddenly asked him. "My mom got put on over nights, so it'd be just us."

"You don't want to go to Jobey's party?" Jughead asked her. Michael Jobe was throwing another ragger after the game. Betty had been invited to go with the squad, but she knew she'd much rather spend the night with Jughead.

"Because that went so well last time." She nodded to the brace on her ankle before meeting his eyes again.

Jughead felt so engulfed by his feelings for her. He never did understand just how strong they were until he found himself thinking about her every time they weren't together or touching her every time they were. He didn't know what it was, but he needed to touch her skin every time she was within reaching distance of him. It was an all-consuming feeling that he could never shake but oddly didn't hate it either. They hadn't had any run in's with Chic and honestly, he hoped it stayed that way for a while. He loved just being with her and kissing her. She'd caught on fast and he loved how open she was to him teaching her. He could admit though, he was scared of what a future looked like for them. He knew he'd have to be more involved with the Serpents which meant more time away from her than they already had. He loved laughing with her and having the hard-emotional talks too. Jughead could see himself developing_real_ feelings for her and it terrified him. What was worse, he could see her already getting there, hell she was already halfway there before his revelation, and that scared him even more.

Betty couldn't love him. He didn't know how to deal with that.

"My trailer…" He said to her, pulling her body back to his for just a moment. She kissed him briefly and nodded against his lips.

"I- I have to get back." She told him regretfully. He pressed a kiss to her temple before letting her go.

"Go… I'll see you after." Betty sucked her bottom lip into her teeth and held onto his fingers until she couldn't anymore.

Betty let herself into Jughead's trailer. After a long and boring game against the Wolverines, she couldn't wait to see him.

"Juggie?" She saw the single red rose he'd set out for her and her heart began to ache. She dropped her cheer bag at her feet and slipped off her tennis. Betty picked up the rose and held it close to her nose, inhaling its beautiful scent.

"I didn't know if flowers were off limits…" He spoke suddenly and she jumped a little. She turned to find him coming out of the hallway and she gave him a genuine smile. Jughead met her by the door and slunk his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.

"Nothing is off limits when it comes to cute gestures…"

"So, roses?"

"I love it Jug," She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She kissed him softly and he deepened it quickly. His tongue snuck into her mouth and she exulted in it.

"I've been waiting to do that all damn day." Jughead said once they pulled apart. She let out a small giggle and hugged him. He squeezed her to him. He could tell that the small but intimate gesture meant so much to her, both the rose and their embrace. He pressed a kiss to her hair and suddenly noticed that she was still in her cheer uniform. "You didn't want to change?"

Betty shook her head at him and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before clearing her throat. "I didn't bring any with me to the game and I was worried Chic would be home and ask questions- I didn't feel like lying about where I was going." She shrugged.

"Where does he think you are right now?" He laughed, understanding that she was completely contradicting herself.

"Josie's…" She said with a weaned tone. "Oh my gosh, that's what exactly what I'm doing." She said with a half laugh as her palm met her forehead. She leaned in and rested her head against his chest. She inhaled against him, simpering in the smell of faint oak and leather.

Jughead rubbed a hand down her back to comfort her. He knew she was exhausted. She'd spent the week working her own shifts on top of covering for Katy, who'd come down with a nasty case of pneumonia. On top of her schoolwork and filling out college applications, Betty was spent. They'd barely spent any time together and he missed her.

"Come on…" He muttered softly. He took her hand and pulled her to his bedroom. He rummaged one of his drawers and handed her one of his t-shirts and a pair of his sweatpants. The exact ones she'd worn the night he'd saved her after the party. He kissed her forehead and told her to change.

Betty sighed against his touch and let herself unwind against him for the first time in what felt like forever. She hadn't realized just how tired she was until that moment. Her brain was constantly at war with a hundred other thoughts that had only doubled with the pressure of keeping her and Jughead a secret. He left the room and let her change, he brought her bag back in and she packed up her cheer uniform after she sat the bag on his bed. Betty brushed her hair out of the tight half pony it'd been in all night.

Jughead came up behind her and kissed her neck. She let herself lean back against him and relax. She knew she'd been quiet from her usual self and he was probably worried about her.

"You okay?" He asked softy, confirming her exact thoughts.

"Mmmhmm…" She nodded, with closed eyes. "Just tired, I've had a long week."

"I know, baby." He whispered it against her ear, and it made her whole-body quiver. It's the first time he'd called her _baby_, and the intimate nature of it had her reeling. "Do you wanna watch a movie or something? It might help you relax…"

"Sure Jug," She turned to him. "I just want to be with you…" A soft smile spread through his cheeks. Her eyes closed and he kissed her lips with a fluttery touch.

Jughead turned on Moulin Rouge, courtesy of Betty's request. She laid her head in his lap on one of the couches throw pillows. Jughead rubbed her back and played with her hair. He could feel the tension releasing from her body by the minute. She was stressed and he knew he was part to blame. As much fun as they were having and as good as they made each other feel, Jughead knew their secret was taking a toll on her, and the guilt caused the bile to rise slightly in his throat. Not even twenty minutes into the infamous film, Jughead could feel the soft hums coming from Betty's chest. Her eyelashes laid delicately on her cheeks and her nostrils flared gently. Jughead shook his head in a silent laugh and threw his head back against the couch. He traced the small of her back for a few more minutes before he decided that he'd had enough of Paris in 1899.

Jughead turned off the television and readjusted her softly. He looped his arms under Betty's knees and upper back. Her body was so small and light in his arms. He stood carefully, Betty let out a light grumble against him, but cuddled closer to him. Jughead kissed her forehead and felt her lean against his lips.

He laid her down in his bed and she curled an arm under her head. Jughead stood and pulled his shirt off, he turned off the bedside lamp and heard a sound escape her lips.

"Juggie…" She whispered into the darkness.

"Sleep baby," He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "It's okay." Betty trapped him by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to her. He avoided putting all of his weight on top of her while she took his lips on her own. Jughead rested beside her and kissed her feverishly. She was brushing against his lips as if she'd been starved. The warmth grew deep in her belly. He ran a hand up her thigh and pressed it to the top of her hip. A whimper left her throat and Jughead dove for her neck. His fingertips skimmed over her stomach and she shuddered.

"Jug…" Her voice came out in an almost pleading cry and she hated herself for it.

"Bett's no…" He said softly against her skin.

"Please Juggie…" They were having an unspoken conversation between their bodies and she writhed against him. She wasn't entirely sure what she was asking him for, utterly perplexed. Her entire body brushed against his and he let out a harsh groan. She let her nails skim his chest and abdomen and gained herself another sound from his throat. "Please." She repeated. She felt his hand skim just under the waistband of his pants she was wearing.

Jughead debated the pros and cons in his head. But inevitably, his body took over and he cursed at himself for reacting so strongly to her. Her touch, her mouth, _her body._ He was so captivated, and he wanted nothing more than to bring her down from the high they'd built up. He wanted to help her relieve the tension that hand grown unknowingly and eagerly in her veins.

"I don't know if I-"

"It's okay Juggie," She nodded profusely pulling him back down to her. "It's okay." He let his fingers dip under her waist band and Betty lifted to him.

"You're sure?" He asked her and she nodded against his forehead and a gasp escaped her throat when his fingers met her pent and slick center. She gripped at his biceps and he swallowed the shape she made with her mouth.

It was surprising but good. She couldn't believe the way her body reacted to him. She'd never deny that his fingers felt so much better than her own. Betty didn't have time to be mortified or embarrassed, Jughead wouldn't let her.

"That's it, baby." Jughead whispered. She arched against his hand and swallowed the slight pinch and burn she felt when he entered a finger. "Let me make you feel good…"

Betty let out a fictitious noise as Jughead stroked her. He caught all of her new noises with his own mouth as she broke out in a sheen of sweat. Jughead thread his fingers through hers next her head as she came in a quick rush. She convulsed against his body as he brought her down. Her chest was heaving, and she knew the blush and grown on her cheeks. Betty had tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She felt so extremely overwhelmed by everything that was going on between them. Jughead cleaned his hand with something on the floor before scooping her back into his arms. She was shaking, her body overwhelmed, and her mind confused of what had just happened. She quivered against him and he held her close. He shushed her, understanding her spent physical and emotional state.

"Sleep Betts…" he rubbed a hand down her back.

"Thank you Jug," She gasped. "That was amazing, I- I just-"

"I know, baby. That was all for you, just rest. It's okay." She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her pout to his chest. He was so amazing to her, as complicated as they were, he always knew what she needed. They'd been together for three weeks, but it felt like so much longer. She didn't know how much time they'd have before reality set in, so she just wanted to relish in the moment with him. So, Betty let herself sleep, her nostrils blew softly against Jughead's bare chest. The arm he had under her had fallen asleep, but he couldn't bear to move it- she looked too peaceful.

The next morning, Betty left his trailer before sunrise, afraid her mother might find her gone from her room once she got home from her overnight shift at the hospital. She'd kissed a sleeping Jughead goodbye after the most amazing night of sleep she'd had in a while. She felt bad for leaving him unknowingly. He hummed when she told him goodbye and returned the pressure against her morning lips, so some conscious part of him- she hoped would understand. She knew she'd see him that night when he picked her up from her shift at the diner. He'd mentioned something about going to Greendale to get car parts with Chic. Any mention of her brother and him together always made her nervous, but she trusted him. They both had so much to lose in the equation they'd created, but instead of thinking about it, Betty just pushed it to the back of her brain under lock and key and thought about the next time she'd see _her boy_.

"Juggie…" Betty weaned. "Stoppp…" She swatted at him. He crawled behind her on her bed. She sat crisscross apple sauce with her face in her chemistry notes. Jughead kissed the back of her neck and she could feel him sucking a spot behind her ear. It was the only night off she had for the week, so she wanted to spend it with him. But she also had loads of homework to catch up on, so his company would just have to do. He toyed with the string on her cotton shorts and snuck a hand around her waist.

"Take a break." He whispered.

"I can't…" She weaned, trying to ignore him. "Mr. Martin's tests are no joke and I've barely reviewed the formulas for this unit." She tried explaining, knowing it was no use.

"Betts…" Jughead pressed his lips to her upper arm. "Please." He muttered sweetly and she paused. Betty dropped her book in a dramatic fashion, she turned to face him and pinned him against her pillow, climbing him and straddling his hips. His thumbs made methodical circles at her thighs and her hands rested flesh against his chest.

"You have me in a very vulnerable position right now…" He muttered, turning his head at her.

"You act like you have any protests…" She said smartly back at him.

"Not at all."

"Mmm…" Betty raised an eyebrow and leaned down to take his mouth. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and bit it softly before covering it with a smooth lap from her tongue. She'd grown bold, her personality carrying into her kissing after Jughead's few teaching sessions. He let out a straggled groan from his throat and Betty's fingers pulled at the ends of his hair. Jughead's hands gripped at her waist and Betty savored in their pressure. She knew he was trying to ground himself, his touch being noticeable but not painful. She hummed against his lips, knowing he liked that, and their tongues met. As frenzied as they always were to kiss each other, when they meant it, their kisses were never that. They always seemed to take their time, taking and giving everything that they knew the other wanted. The way they were so entuned with each other had her head constantly spinning and her emotions reeling.

Jughead suddenly flipped her over and a surprised murmur left her mouth. His fingers grazed the hem of her left leg and she shivered at his touch. She kissed his neck and felt his pulse point against her plush lips. Betty grazed her teeth at his chin.

"You need to shave." She spoke briskly.

"You don't like it?" He asked her with a small laugh, pulling away from her face. She shook her head at him and scrunched up her nose.

"It's too itchy, I much rather prefer it smooth…"

"I'll remember that." He said meeting back at her lips. She smiled against his mouth and took his face in her hands. Jughead's hands slid further up her light shorts and Betty arched into him. She could feel his fingers graze the black lace at the line where her hip met her thigh and she nodded against his mouth. He let out a sharp breath, but Betty could tell that a giddy smile had broken through his cheeks.

A sudden noise startled them. Betty broke their kiss and pushed him off of her. She sat up to listen and heard the front door shut loudly.

"Shit!" She said in a clipped whisper. "It's Chic." She met Jughead's eyes and he scrambled off of her. They jumped from the bed and situated their clothing. Jughead looked around frantically, unsure of what to do. "Bathroom!" Betty seemingly read his mind and pointed to the attached door to her room.

"What now?" He said once they were inside. The main door had a lock on it and Betty latched it. However, the one to her bedroom didn't and Chic would find them eventually.

"Window…" She pointed.

"No way." Jughead shook his head with a nervous laugh. "What is he doing here?"

"He does still live here…" She hissed back. "I mean barely, but he does."

"_Magoo__?"_ She heard Chic yell from somewhere in the trailer and her eyes went wide. With quick thinking she turned on the shower to gain them some time.

"We showering?" Jughead said jokingly. Betty rolled her eyes and gave his shoulder a slight shove.

"Go!" She told him and pointed at the window once more. Jughead grabbed her and kissed her quickly, holding her body to him. Her knotted shirt rode up her waist and she pushed him away again. "Go!" She repeated.

"I'll make sure I watch out for the thorn bush…" He said teasingly. He climbed up on the vanity and Betty helped him open the window carefully and quietly. He went to descend, and Betty stopped him.

"Hey…" She caught his face in her hands and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. "I'm sorry." She apologized lightheartedly.

"No Betts… I'm sorry." He said it with sad eyes and Betty could feel her heart tinge. He made it through the window successfully, without injury. Betty cleaned his footprints off of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror for a moment. She took a deep breath and turned off the shower faucet.

"Goo…" Chic entered her room just as she left the bathroom. She smoothed down her shirt before she jumped at his voice and met his eyes. "What the hell?"

"Sorry, I was just getting ready for bed…"

"You showered?" He asked him, picking up her chemistry book from her bed.

"Yeah?" She questioned his tone and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Your hair's dry…" She shifted uncomfortably and repositioned her feet.

"I- I didn't wash it." She told him, hoping he'd buy it. Just then she noticed Jughead's Serpent tinged leather jacket hanging over her desk chair. No way would Chic believe it was hers if he saw it. It was too worn at the elbows and lapels and the white stitching was a permanent shade of tattered yellow. Not to mention its size was twice as big as hers. She let out a nervous sound from her throat and thought if she stayed in the same place of her position in front of the bathroom doorway, there'd be no reason for him to look to her desk. He seemingly shook his head at her. Chic dropped her book to the ground with a hard thud and Betty winced as the binding made contact with the stingy carpet.

"Whatever, Goo." He turned and left from her room. She quickly snatched up the book from the ground and threw it back to her bed. She hastily grabbed Jughead's jacket and shoved it into the dark under her bed. He'd hear about it next time she saw him.

Her hand met her forehead as she let out an audible sigh and pushed her hair back. She grabbed a sweatshirt from her closet and pulled it on. She pushed both of the sleeves back and sat on her bed. She heard Chic drop something and curse in the kitchen, a small laugh leaving her lungs with the shake of her head. She picked up her pencil and tried to return to her notes. The eraser pushed her bottom lip into her teeth as she bit at the soft bouncy and pink end. Betty huffed and dropped everything onto her duvet covered mattress once more. She threw herself back on her pillows and grunted into the air. Her brain rummaged with thoughts of any possible good outcome to her and Jughead as she played absentmindedly with the strings of her sweatshirt.

But the results were always the same, and they all ended up with the both of them in deep trouble.


	7. Chapter 7: Damaged Goods

"Jug?" Betty spoke harshly, letting herself into Jughead's trailer. He hadn't replied to her texts all day and when she had to walk home because he didn't pick her up from her shift at the diner, she knew something had to be wrong. She looked around for a moment. There was broken glass on the kitchen floor and the living room furniture had been thrown about. Betty turned on a table lamp to illuminate the small room, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. The bathroom door had a nice sized hole in the bottom and Betty was instantly worried.

Then she found him in the hallway. His slumped body was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with his knees drawn in. "Juggie?" She said frantically leaning down to him. He didn't meet her eyes, but Betty could see what looked like blood on his t-shirt. She felt it and he turned his head to her hand. She could see a bloodied gash on his left eyebrow and a cut on his bottom lip was illuminated with the soft light that carried into the hallway from the lamp. Her hands cupped his face carefully and she repeated his name, tilting his head to face her. "What happened?"

Jughead pulled his face from her hands and wouldn't meet her eyes. Betty felt her heart drop at his gesture, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Was is Chic?" She asked him, fearing the worst.

"What?" He clipped. "No-" He shook his head at her.

"Then what happened Jug?" She said again. Jughead suddenly pushed himself up from the wall and began to walk away from her. The rage rose in Betty's frame. "Jughead!?"

"I don't want you involved Betty…"

"Well, too damn bad." She jumped back at him. She grasped the back of his t-shirt in her hands and pulled him back to her. "What the hell happened to you?"

She let her fingers skim over his injured lip and Jughead pulled away and hissed at the contact. She gave him an apologetic look and retreated. "Your dad?" She spoke, assumingly. She hadn't realized that he was covered in a sheen of sweat. She lifted his shirt at the hem and pulled it off. She left him to grab a clean one from his drawer.

"Betts," he spoke when she handed him the dry shirt.

"Don't…" She said. "Let's get you cleaned up, before you do something you regret."

"I'd never want to hurt you, Goo."

"Of course not, Jug…" Betty gave him a soft smile and leaned in to pull his forehead down to hers.

Betty apologized before dabbing an alcohol wipe across Jughead's brow he hissed harshly as the cotton made contact with his broken skin. He gripped her wrist to get her to stop and pulled it away.

"What happened, Jug…" She asked him once more. Betty's voice was quiet and meek. She leaned back against the kitchen table behind her, the alcohol swab still in her hand- now resting at her side.

"Betty, I don't-" He tried to speak.

"And I really don't care what you want. I'm involved! Now stop trying to play hero and let me help you damnit!" Her fiery personality came out, fed up with his protector bullshit. "Sorry." She apologized softly again, remorseful for her outburst tone.

Jughead finally let out an audible sigh and held out a hand to her. Betty took it and he pulled her down into his lap. She pushed back his hair and he kissed her jaw, wincing at contact against his battered lip.

"He was drunk and wanted someone to be his punching bag." Jughead told her simply with a shrug. Betty knew he was talking about his father without even saying it.

"Juggie…" her voice weaned with emotion for him.

"Don't Betts," He said, shaking his head. He didn't want her to feel bad for him. "I'm sorry I didn't pick you up… I just- I didn't really want you to see me like this."

"Jug, we're in this together." She kissed his mouth, weary of his lip. She could taste the metallic tang on her tongue after his initial wince at the contact. "You're gonna be all wounded for homecoming on Saturday…" She brushed his hair from his forehead. She watched his face fall as he spoke her knowing fears.

"Betts, you know I can't go to the dance with you." He told her.

"I know." She nodded. "I guess some part of me just hoped-"

"I know, baby."

It was just another downfall of them being a secret to the outside world.

"I know this is what I signed up for, I'm not upset it's just frustrating." Betty spoke not meeting his gaze. "I could meet you afterward… if you wanted."

"Of course, Betts…" Jughead pulled her body flesh against his and kissed her hair. "Hopefully one day I'll be able to give you what you want." He wanted to finish by telling her that until then he hoped he'd be good enough, but he didn't. She seemed to accept his answer and nodded against his chest, kissing the bottom crease of his neck.

"Where's your dad now?" She asked him after they sat for a moment.

"I don't know…" He shrugged, exasperated.

"Is he coming back?"

"Probably not, Tallboy heard all of the noise. Took him with him after a cold shower."

"I'm sorry Juggie…"

"Don't Betts, okay?" He said sharply again.

"Do you want me to stay?" She said after a moment.

"Would you?" He asked her. She could tell that he was holding back emotion in his voice, it was a side of him she'd never seen before. Jughead was the strongest person she knew, it scared her to see him so expressive. "Is that what you want?"

"Let me text Chic…" She climbed from his lap to grab her phone from her bag by the door. She texted her brother quickly- telling him that she was staying over at Josie's to work on a school project. She powered off her cellular device and shoved it back into her bag. Jughead was still slumped in the kitchen chair, seemingly looking at his feet, the soft light from the lamp and streetlight illuminated his sunken figure. Betty walked back up to him and pulled his head to her chest, standing beside him. She stroked the back of his neck and he loosely wrapped his arms around her waist.

Betty pulled away after a bit and finished patching up his eyebrow with butterfly closures in silence. She dabbed a warm washcloth at his lips and gave him some medicine to decrease his discomfort.

"Thank you for being here, Betts…" She gave him a light smile as she cleaned up the mess she'd made with the first aid supplies. "I need a shower." He told her.

"Yes, you do." She said jokingly and lightheartedly, scrunching up her nose.

"Hey…" His stature lightened. He grabbed her and tickled her sides lightly, granting himself a giddy laugh from her belly. It was a sound that he wished would play in his ears forever. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her mouth sharply.

"Go," She nudged him to the bathroom. "I'll finish cleaning up."

Jughead did as he was told. Betty swept up the glass that littered the floor in the kitchen. She couldn't help but search for Jughead's clad legs through the hole in the bottom of the bathroom door. Betty picked up some of the splintered wood, careful not to get any of the splinters in her fingers or hands. She attempted to put some of the furniture back its place, doing the best she could with her lack of upper body strength. She knew Jughead would be upset that she went through the trouble of cleaning it all up, but frankly, she didn't care.

Betty couldn't help but allow her heart to hurt for him. He'd become her broken boy to comfort and she'd admit it, _love_. She could see herself getting there with him and it scared the hell out of her. They'd been together for just over a month and the feelings she had for him consumed her to no avail. Betty changed out of her Pop's uniform, the skirt becoming uncomfortable and tight. Again, she hadn't brought clothes with her. Unknowing to her overnight presence with Jughead. She grabbed one of his shirts from his dresser. She grew bold, she pulled it on and took off her bra and decided not to bother with pants, eager to see his reaction. She wanted it all with him, and she knew he wanted it too. But they had so much uncharted territory between them, so she understood his apprehension to the unknowns.

Betty climbed on his bed, her knees underneath her. She self-consciously pulled her t-shirt down and pushed her hair behind her ears. She grabbed a car magazine from Jughead's bedside table and began to thumb through it, trying to understand his fascination with old engines.

"Betty?" She hadn't even heard him leave the bathroom. She met his eyes, still leaning over the magazine. He had only a pair of flannel pajama pants and Betty drank in the site of his wet hair, bare chest and abdomen. In a single stride he'd be in front of her, but he didn't move. His eyes seemed to trace her bare thighs and Betty pressed them together self-consciously. He walked then, he made his way slowly over her and leaned down to kiss her. Betty followed his eyes until he was hovering over her, she used her hands as leverage and placed them behind her. Their lips met in pure extasy. It wasn't rushed or fevered. Almost _desperate_.

Betty pulled her legs out from under her and laid back on the bed. Her hands smoothed over Jughead's abdomen and she could feel his muscles contracting with her touch. Jughead's fingers danced across the tops of Betty's thighs, playing with the hem of her shirt. She could feel the goosebumps rise on her skin and she deepened his kiss. He laid next to her and Betty readjusted her position to hover over him. She could feel his fingers slither across the bottom of her stomach, her breath hitching, and a hard exhale stemmed from her belly. As much as she wanted what he was offering, something was off. She knew he was holding it together for her and she didn't want him too. She needed him to be vulnerable with her, he needed to know that that was okay.

She slowly slid her hand along the length of their bodies. She kissed his neck with an open mouth and earned herself a noise from his throat. She knew she needed to be bold. She was ready. It was okay. She jumped from the metaphorical cliff that had grown in her head and palmed his pajama pants. She could feel him reacting to her and her veins filled with fire and drive.

"Baby…" Jughead hissed in her ear. His hand met hers at their waists and pulled her wrist away. Betty fingers danced at his happy trail and her teeth caught his jaw.

"Show me…" Betty whispered a wean.

"Betts-" Jughead murmured into the air. He wanted to surrender to her touch, but he didn't know if she was ready for it. He never wanted to feel like he was taking advantage of her. Yet here they were, she was practically begging him, it was every man's dream and yet he felt like shit. "I can't."

"Baby please," She asked him. She flipped his own words on him, and she knew it sent his head reeling. She let her curious hand explore once more. Her dainty fingers lightly stroked him, and he didn't feel worthy enough, but Jughead didn't put up any protest this time. Betty's delicate fingers slid into his waist band and she could feel his breath hitch in his throat. "Let me, Juggie…" When she finally touched him, Betty could feel him tense. It was such an odd sensation and she couldn't quite explain it. She met his eyes then and touched him again, Jughead sucked in a sharp breath. Jughead conjoined their hands and stroked himself down. He squeezed around Betty's hand and she tried her hardest to concentrate on his motions and movements. He suddenly let out a half laugh, and she looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Stop concentrating so hard," He stopped their movements. "You're cute, but you're gonna kill me." She looked at him with disgruntled eyes and let out a huff.

"You know," She started. "Most people would just say thank you." She shoved his hand away and grabbed him with a pressurized grip. Jughead threw his head back in a writhe and it was Betty's turn to let out a half laugh. She wrapped her fingers around him and began to stroke. "Am I doing it right?" She asked him whole heartedly.

Jughead hissed through his teeth at her and caught her in a surprise kiss. He couldn't believe what was happening. "A little tighter…" He muttered. "A little faster."

Betty did as she was told and Jughead groaned against her neck. She couldn't help the grin that grew through her cheeks. "Betts st-stop…" he grabbed her wrist, but she didn't listen to him. She moved her hand a little faster, hearing him groan in response.

"Can I touch you?" He suddenly asked her with shaky breath. She nodded profusely, kissing his slack lips. Jughead palmed her breast, squeezing the mound softly. Betty whimpered as her peaks puckered under his hands. She swiped her thumb over his tip and heard him groan in her ear. "Betty-" He lifted against her as she moaned into his throat, still watching her every move against him. "Baby, I'm-" Jughead barely had time to warn her, he spilled over her hand with a groan and heard her audibly gasp in his ear. She rubbed him through it, her reflexes kicking in as she let him feel her.

"Was- was that okay…" She gasped into his open neck. She placed a small kiss against his pulse point.

"More than okay." He assured her. Jughead pulled her hand from his pants and wiped it with a shirt that was on the floor. "I can't believe that just happened." Jughead leaned back and searched her eyes. Betty seemed to be hiding her head in his neck and Jughead shook his head in a gentle laugh.

"How can you be embarrassed right now…" Jughead asked her lightheartedly. "You just had your hand down my pants."

"I- I just- We're okay right?" She asked him nervously.

"Betts," Jughead pulled her into his eyes. "Stop self-destructing."

"I'm sorry-"

"No- don't do that… I liked it." He told her. Jughead held her close and kissed her forehead. Betty simpered in the pressure of his lips against her skin. They laid there together for a few moments. Jughead caught his breath as neither one of them moved or said anything.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"I'm surviving," He started squeezing his arms around her. "Because you're here with me."

Betty's internal wheels were spinning, as her head filled with self-doubt and regret. Why did she think getting into a relationship with him wouldn't involve feelings? How could she pull herself away when she was already so far in? She felt like an idiot, a self-deprecating statistic of a teenage girl. The stupidity she'd had when she had the fuel of desire and heat driving her to make important decisions, now pissed her off entirely.

Betty felt her heart grow heavy at his words. She couldn't help the tears that grew at the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall. She sniffled quickly and wiped at her eye.

"Hey…" Jughead pulled back at the sound of her whimper. "What's this?" A single tear fell on to his chest and he looked at her with concerned eyes. "Baby?" Betty shook her head at him as Jughead caught a tear from her cheek. "Talk to me…"

"I'm scared Jug…" She admitted tearfully. "How long can we actually keep this up?" She shrugged at him. "I mean, it's not practical and I don't want to get hurt…"

"Betty…" Jughead leaned back to face her. "I would never hurt you-"

"Not intentionally!" Betty cut him off, raising her voice. "But, who's to say you won't…" she shrugged again. "I really like you even though I know I can't…"

"You can't?"

Betty let out a half-laughed scoff and shook her head, wiping a tear from her cheek. "C'mon Juggie, I came into this not expecting anything- I wanted to explore whatever this is, but now I know it can't last and I'm fucking terrified of it." She told him truthfully. Betty could see his internal wince and she sniffled again, unable to meet his eyes. "Chic will find out. We can't continue to sneak around and expect nothing to happen."

"So, we tell him." Jughead said without hesitation.

"What?" Betty whispered breathlessly.

"I can't lose you…" He grabbed the back of her neck and pressed her forehead against his. He could feel her tensing against his skin, and he hated himself for it. "Give me some time, okay?" He asked her softly. "I'll talk to him after homecoming, I just- I need more time with you…"

"We'll tell him together Jug."  
"No Betts- I'll tell him, this is all my fault baby and I'm so sorry. I don't know why I thought we could do this with no feelings or consequences… You don't deserve this Betty."

"I didn't expect to have this conversation tonight." She admitted ruefully.

"I'm so sorry that I brought you into this mess…"

"You didn't Jug, you didn't-" Betty shook her head at him, pulling away. "This was just as much me. I can promise you that…"

"You just- You had so much more to lose, and I feel like I took that all from you…"

"Baby, no…" Betty took his face in her hand and watched as he simpered in the pressure, closing his eyes.

"Betts,"

"I still want you Juggie… I still want _this_… Is that what you want?" Betty asked him, fearful of his response.

"This is hurting you…" Is all that he offered into the sudden intensity of the air above them. He couldn't meet her eyes. He didn't want to see the pain and confusion that he'd caused cloud her evergreen irises. It would kill him.

"Juggie…" Her voice broke as she stroked the back of her knuckles against his cheek.

"I need time, Betts…" He nearly whispered the words. She didn't say anything for a while and Jughead didn't offer anything more. He laid there on his back, stroking his thumb against her knee. Her hands knotted each other in her lap as she seemingly watched them.

"Okay."

Betty didn't pry anymore at his confused brain. She let her imagination think up some messy situations during the night. She was curled into his arms as his chest rose and fell with heavy sighs and an unspoken weight that was almost palpable for the both of them. She wished more than anything that he would be honest with her about his feelings. There was more than he was willing to share with her and the only thing she decided she would be okay with for an explanation was that of the fact that they utterly terrified him… the same way that the thought of losing him utterly terrified her. She didn't get a wink of sleep during the night, she rose early and left before he woke, hoping she hadn't ruined everything between them. He'd told her that he needed time and she was willing to give him that. He needed time to figure out what he wanted, perhaps. Or maybe to figure out exactly what he was feeling. Betty wasn't quite sure.

But if there was anything that she took from the sleepless night of his exhales against her hair and her tracing methodical circles against his ribs and she hummed their favorite song. She didn't just _like_ him.

She loved him.


	8. Chapter 8: Tattooed Heart

Betty soothed her hands down her soft silk gown. It was a silver high-low gown with a deep cut between her breasts and thin spaghetti straps that rested against her shoulders. She'd picked it out with Josie back in August before all the stores sold out of their sizes and cute styles. She'd curled her hair and kept it up with an unimaginable number of pins. Her makeup was subtle, but effective. Her full face done by none other than Veronica Lodge herself, who had somehow scored herself a date with Riverdale Highs quarterback and resident playboy, Archie Andrews. Betty checked over her ombre pink eye lids and glossy lips in her bedroom mirror one last time. She would never deny that she looked absolutely stunning thanks to her friends. She sat on her bed and secured the straps of her silver heels.

Betty stood once more and let out a deep breath with closed eyes. She so badly wanted to bail. But what kind of person would it make her if she skipped out on her senior homecoming? She smoothed her hands down her dress again and toyed with the dangling earring in her left lobe. She suddenly saw, out of the corner of her eye, the infamous manila envelope camouflaged on her desk. She walked over and pulled on it gently. She removed the large packet of printer paper and toyed with the warn stapled corner. She thought back to the first time she'd read it and she smiled in admiration. Her mind was at war with itself- both then and _now_. Betty never did bring herself to read the end. Possibly scared of what she might find hidden in the unknown. She let out a quick sigh and flipped all the pages swiftly. She decided she could read the last line. It was something she always did when she started a new book. Read the last chapter first so you know what happens. Josie had always told her that it just ruined the ending, but Betty had never listened.

She only meant to read the last line, but a single one in the middle caught her eye.

"_I love you__Bethany, and I just want you to be happy. James has convinced me that he's the man for the job. That's all any big brother could ask for." _

Betty teared up at Jughead's writing. She pressed a finger to the corner of her eye to stop any threatening tears from falling and earning herself a scold from Veronica for ruining her makeup. She closed the pages quickly and looked to the photo frame that sat next to her bed. It was an old picture of her, Polly and Chic. They had toothy grins and freckled faces, but they were happy. Jughead wanted Chic to be happy with their decision, but Betty knew it wasn't that easy. It'd never be as easy and blissfully simple as their relationship as big brother and little sister looked like in that granulated photo. There was no way that Jughead could tell her that she wasn't what he wanted. He wanted his best friend's acceptance. He was just too afraid to ask for it. Because his fear of love for her was masked by his fear of the consequences he might face if he shared his real damn feelings.

It was a fight that Betty had in her head every single night. But she couldn't judge him… Because she was also afraid of what Jughead might say or do if she shared her true feelings with him and she needed him too much to face his rejection.

"Magoo?" Betty suddenly heard someone speak. She wiped her eye quickly and shoved the stack back into its envelope, storing it back away. "Josie's here." Her mother appeared in the doorway. "Oh, Goo…" Her mother put a hand to her chest. "You look beautiful."

"Really?" Betty asked wholeheartedly.

"Oh, honey…" Her mother made her way into the room. She soothed her hands down Betty's arms and admired the way her daughter looked before she pulled her in for a hug. "I'm so proud of you." Betty felt her heart grow heavy at her mother's words. Alice Cooper was not a soft bodied person and her random act of admiration threw Betty for a mental loop. "You're staying at Josie's tonight, right?"

"Yes." Betty nodded, half-lying. She wasn't actually sure where she was staying for the night. As far as she knew she still had plans to meet up with Jughead after the dance. But the pair had shared no more than a few text messages over the last few days and Betty's heart hurt at the mention of his name or the thought of him.

"Okay just be safe…" Her mother told her, pulling out of their hug. "And have fun!"

"I will mom." Betty gave her a half smile. "Where's Chic?"

"Oh, you know he'd be here Betty, but he had some last-minute things come up with the Serpents…"

"Of course." Betty gave her mother a spite filled smile. She grabbed her phone and her keys and stuffed them into the bejeweled clutch that she scooped up from her bed. Alice grabbed her daughters face and placed a dramatic kiss to her scrunched-up face. "Mom!"

"B, you ready?" Josie suddenly peeked her head into the dark doorway.

"Jos, you look incredible…" Betty gushed. She had on a multicolored orange and hot pink bodycon dress that had a large slit up the right leg. Her matching orange heels popped against her dark complexion and her hair hung down and straight at her shoulder blades.

"Thanks…" Josie muttered, looking down at herself. "Let's go?" Betty gave her a nod and the girls made their way to the front door of the trailer. Betty could see an already aggravated looking Veronica leaned against the passenger side of Josie's car and a fiery haired Archie looking just as annoyed on the other side. Chuck Clayton, Riverdale High's linebacker and Josie's date, sat in the passenger seat. The cold wind hit Betty's bare skin and she shivered.

"Ooh, let me get my camera!" Alice suddenly muttered as Betty and Josie descended the trailer steps. Josie rubbed a hand between Betty's shoulder blades and Betty glanced to her.

"It'll be okay B."

"I just wish he was here…" Betty whispered to her friend.

"I know…" Josie said with sympathetic eyes.

"Come on girls, get together…" Alice said as she made her way back outside with the camera. Betty mustered up the best smile she could, getting close with Veronica and Josie on either side of her. The boys wanted no part in the photoshoot and that was more than fine with Betty.

Soon she was shoved into the back seat between a bickering Archie and Veronica, both of them with egos and opinions too large for the other to handle or accept. Betty couldn't help to continually roll her eyes, so wishing she could just tell the pair to shut the _hell_up.

The school gym had been decorated beautifully with the student bodies theme of Night in the Sky. There were dark blue and silver balloons scattered around the dance floor and foil stars hung from fishing line along the ceiling. The large room was dark and echoed with loud music that vibrate the wooden floorboards against Betty's feet. She tried to dance, Josie and Veronica pulling her in to form their own little circle- against all of Betty's protests. She felt so out of place and just couldn't find herself having a good time- no matter how hard she tried.

She wanted to understand why she'd let her brain get so clouded with the mess that was Jughead Jones. No matter how many times she tried to tell herself not to fall for him- she did anyway. She couldn't help herself.

They announced homecoming king and queen. The titles going to no other than Queen Bee cheer captain herself, Cheryl Blossom, and Quarterback Archie Andrews. Proving themselves another high school cliché. Betty watched as Veronica shot fire fueled daggers at Cheryl as her and Archie slow danced after claiming their titles. When the rest of the senior class joined in with their dates in a slow embrace of rocking back and floor among the creaking old oak floorboards. Betty couldn't stop the hopelessness that came over her seeing all her friends and classmates in that moment. She watched as Chuck kissed Josie and Archie left Cheryl to wrap Veronica in his embrace. Tears threatened her eyes as she couldn't help but feel so lonely. Her hands gripped at the seat of the chair that she was planted in. She laid a soft smack next to her leg in aggravation and let out a grunt into the air.

"Damnit," She muttered breathlessly, swiping at her face. She stood and walked to one of the gymnasiums heavy metal doors in a rush. She looked back and found Josie's sympathetic eyes staring back at her. They had an unspoken conversation and all Betty could do was shake her head at her best friend before pushing the large door open with oomph and fleeing the scene.

Betty steadied herself against a set of lockers and placed a hand on her stomach with an emotional huff. She let out a half-strangled sob, unable to stop herself. She felt like an idiot. Two months ago, she wouldn't have been caught dead crying over some guy that she couldn't have. Yet here she was.

"Betts?" A soft voice suddenly spoke. She pulled her eyes up from their fixated gaze on her shoes. Betty met Jughead's eyes as he stood at the other end of the hallway. He had a hand shoved into his pocket and he took her breath away. He had on a suit. A black on black ensemble and he looked phenomenal. He seemed to have an object in his right hand. She could see his sunken eyes that only deepened when he seemed to realize that she was upset. He began to walk over to her. Betty sucked in a deep breath.

Jughead opened the plastic box he'd been holding once he reached her. He grabbed her left wrist and her eyes followed his movements. He placed a beautiful corsage bracelet on her arm before pulling her knuckles up to his mouth and placing a small lipped kiss. His eyes closed as he simpered in the pressure against her skin. Betty's eyes met the flowered corsage that he put on her wrist. It was beautiful. It had a single deep red rose surrounded by baby's breath and gorgeous silver accents. She caught herself thinking about the fact that he'd never seen her dress and yet the accessory matched so perfectly. It was so _her._

"You look beautiful…" He muttered softly.

"Juggie…" She muttered breathlessly. "_It's_ so beautiful." Their eyes finally met and Jughead's heart grew heavy at the glassiness of hers. Every time she cried her eyes grew and their vibrant green color took over her entire face. He stroked her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

She couldn't deny it. She _needed_his touch. She let out a sob and hooked herself around him. Jughead soothed her and held her to his body. He whispered shushes into her ear and she clung to him, burying her face into his neck. She squeezed him tighter, seemingly wanting to mold herself to him.

"Baby-baby," Jughead spoke frantically. "What's going on?"

"We can't tell him Jug," She said desperately. "Chic… I- I just-"

"We need to talk." Is all he managed to say. She seemingly nodded back before he nudged his chin. "Come on." Jughead held an arm around her as he walked them to the exit.

Jughead helped her into his father's truck, pulling her close once he was inside. She let out a shaky breath and held his free hand in a desperate grasp. Jughead lifted it to kiss her knuckles again. She'd finally let her walls down and allowed him to see her raw emotion. Betty let her head rest on his shoulder as the streetlights passed, there in and out flashing factor hurting her sensitive eyes.

"Where are we?" She spoke softly once he'd stopped the truck. Jughead climbed from the truck and walked around to open her door. Betty looked around at the unfamiliar sounding before allowing Jughead to help her body from the cab.

"I got us a room…" Jughead told her. "I hope that's okay." Betty met his eyes and nodded to him. Betty knew why he'd done it. He didn't want to risk the chance of any interruptions between them. He needed all of her, he wanted to utterly consume her, and Betty couldn't think of anything better.

Jughead let them into the hotel room with his plastic key card. He set the card and his keys onto a nearby table with a clatter. He glanced to her face. Her skin was flushed, and she had her bottom lip drawn into her teeth.

"Come here." Jughead muttered into the distance between them. She instantly did as she was told and met in front of him. He grasped her shoulders and turned her around, his eyes searching for the clasp of her dress. His fingers found her zipper as his plush lips met the bottom of her neck. Betty let a soft moan trickle into the air and Jughead knew that she was only chewing harder on her lip. He slipped an arm around her bare waist once he had her dress unzipped. He hauled her back against his front, and she let out an audible gasp. His teeth bit into her shoulder before he soothed over it with a lap from his tongue. She'd told him before that she liked the vulnerable and unknowing feeling she got when he stood behind her and teased her.

Betty let her dress slip from her shoulders. She turned to find his eyes as he drank in her pale pink bra and matching panties. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and her dainty fingers met the buttons of his black dress shirt. She leaned in and pressed a kiss against his chest before she looked into his eyes again.

"Hold on!" She spoke suddenly and Jughead couldn't help but smile. She pulled the corsage from her wrist and set it on the bedside table. "I don't want it to get ruined."

"Get on the bed." He nudged his chin and muttered with a smile. Betty could help the warm wave that slithered into her veins, regardless of the goosebumps that had rose on her skin. She wanted him in control. She _needed_ it. She laid back and stretched out, she heard Jughead suck in a sharp breath and she giggled. "You little shit." He muttered playfully. He came over her slowly, losing his shirt to the floor.

"Kiss me Jug." She muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck. He obliged her happily and a smile spread across her lips- Jughead gaining himself a pucker full of teeth.

"What?" He laughed over her. Betty brought her hands to her face and shook her head in embarrassment. "Betts… Now I have to know."

"We-" She tried to speak. "We did this in your book…"

"Jesus Christ." He took her mouth in a hot kiss and she gasped in surprise. "You're going to fucking kill me." Betty pulled his mouth back down to hers. His tongue slithered in to meet hers and she was quickly humming against his lips. When his hand slunk between them, barely making contact with the skin of her stomach, Betty let out a whimper as the goosebumps on her skin rose once more.

"Please Juggie…" Betty weaned. He kissed her lips in a fevered rush before pulling away.

"Would you let me try something?" He asked her and Betty looked at him with big doe eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"More than anything…" She muttered breathlessly. He kissed the top swell of her breast as he sank down her body on his knees. When he leaned down a placed a kiss just below her belly button, Betty knew what he was going to do, and her breath hitched in her throat just at the thought.

"You have no idea how beautiful you look right now…" Jughead told her softly.

"Juggie…"

"If you want to stop- just tell me, we'll stop…"

"It's okay Jug." Betty told him shakily. "I want to."

Jughead pulled the waist band off her left hip gently after a moment. When he spotted _it_ he almost didn't believe his eyes. There was no way.

She had a tattoo- no bigger than a penny. It was the black outline of a simple heart placed perfectly against her hip bone.

"Betts?" He looked up and search for her eyes. She had her bottom lip drawn into her teeth and she was smiling softly.

"For my birthday…" She started. "Veronica and Josie surprised me. There was an artist at the party- I know it sounds so sketch, but I promise it wasn't. Hurt like a bitch though." Jughead snickered a laugh and shook his head at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked her. She didn't say anything and Jughead leaned down and placed his lips on it with a simple kiss.

"I- I wanted you to find it…" She told him breathlessly.

"Christ, Betts." He climbed back up her body and placed a hard kiss against her lips.

Betty grasped his face in her hands and kissed him hard. Their tongues clashed and she was quickly moaning sounds into his mouth. Jughead began to sink down her body once more. His teeth nipped at her ribcage and Betty let out a playful yelp. He slithered down her stomach, placing soft kisses against her smooth skin in his path. He looped his fingers into her waist band and pulled off her panties.

"You're sure?" Betty let out a small nervous whimper but nodded to him.

When he laid the first kiss to her pent-up center, Betty bowed off the bed in surprise. Jughead let out a soft laugh as she clutched the sheets in her hands. Jughead used his left hand to press down on her belly, keeping her still. He let his tongue dip between her folds and Betty let out a raspy gasp. He flicked at her lightly, relishing in the way she reacted to him.

"Juggie," Betty bowed and let out breathlessly. Jughead peeked up at her through his lashes and found her eyes closed and her chest heaving. He sucked her clit into his mouth and sucked softly against her. He could feel her hands in his hair, holding him to her as her breaths came out in pants. Jughead offered a finger, slipping in her folds gracefully. He hooked and pressed; pumping inside her and sucking wildly at her nub. He felt her legs began to shake and he hit a spot that made her thighs closed harshly against his head. He let out a disgruntled sigh and pushed them back open, not letting up on her. He saw her bite into the back of her hand to quiet the fictitious noises she was making.

"Come on, baby..." Jughead muttered against her, his voice vibrating her sensitive skin. "Let go." His words were her undoing. Betty let her line snap and she spiraled into ecstasy. She gasped and her back bowed, lifting away from Jughead's sinful mouth. Jughead kissed his way up her body and bit softly into the swell of her breast as she came down. He took her mouth and surprise and sank into her lips. Betty explored the unfamiliar taste of herself on his tongue and it refueled the fire within her. Her veins strangled and burning with want for him.

Betty's hands reached for his belt buckle as her fingers danced across it eagerly. Jughead used one of his hands to help her, still kissing her. Betty whimpered and reached around to unclasp her bra, pulling it from her shoulders and discarding it to the floor. She gasped when Jughead caught her nipple in his mouth and sucked softly. He kicked his pants off as she dove for his neck.

Their movements were so frantic. Betty's brain was caught in a tornado, hurdling all her apprehension and confusion in different directions. Her hands met near his waist, her fingertips dancing through his happy trail and he hissed through his teeth.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked her, his voice slightly strangled.

"I need you Juggie..." Betty couldn't hide the emotion that came from her throat. "Please."

Jughead grabbed a condom from the bedside table, kicking off his boxers and sliding it on as Betty kissed up and down his neck- the anticipation killing them both. Jughead palmed her breast as she arched into him, brushing her entire body against his as he held back a guttural groan. He'd waited far too long to have her, and he wasn't sure if he could stop if she asked him too.

Betty's veins were burning from end to end. They'd barely started, and she already felt like she was on fire. She moaned against Jughead's ear as he nudged himself at her entrance.

"You're sure..." His voice strangled as it left his throat.

"Fuck Jug, yes! Just do it already!" She practically begged him.

Jughead eased in gently, stopping every few seconds to read her face. It was killing him, but he didn't dare rush her in anyway. Her wince halfway was clear enough, and she bent into a position, nuzzling her face into his neck. She gasped at the sudden pinch. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was definitely something she'd never felt before. She threw her head back in a moan once he'd let himself all the way in. He exhaled sharply and she allowed her tensive clutch on the sheets to relax.

"Are you okay?" He calmed, stilling inside her. She nodded to him, tears slightly pricking at the corners of her eyes. She tried to adjust to the feeling of fullness that had grown in her belly. "You're crying..."

"No, Jug." She gasped as she thought he might pull back. He rested a gentle hand against her cheek, and she lifted her fingers to hold it there. "I'm okay." She whispered quietly.

"Betts..."

"It's okay Juggie..." She muttered. Betty pulled his face to her and kissed his skin and lips with quick pecks. "I promise." She muttered against the skin of his under eye. Jughead didn't budge, looking for any sign to retreat. "Move Jug-" She said softly as her fingers nudged the hair from his forehead, that was covered in a sheen layer of sweat. "Please, Juggie..."

Jughead sighed, looking down at their pelvises before he started to rock. Knowing he wouldn't last long. She was so tight- he could barely move at the squeeze. His rocking caused her to writhe, a moan escaping her lips.

The pressure between her thighs was quickly turning into a burning sensation. Her legs squeezed around him, fighting off the searing need.

"Betty, I'm-" Jughead choked.

"Me too." She jumped. "Jesus…"

She needed to relieve the ache buried deep in her belly. Beginning to suckle his neck, Betty trailed a hand between them- needing to touch herself. Jughead reached down, pulling her hand away, replacing it with his- making her hot all over again. She groaned loudly, "Juggie I-"

"It's okay. Come down baby." Jughead grunted, pushing into her.

His stifled voice was just enough to send her spiraling. A rush of heat escaped her belly as she yelled out his name, her nails raking gently across his back. The tightness around him was enough to stop him mid-thrust, a low growl escaping onto her chest. He spilled into her, unable to move. She was quivering, still recovering from her orgasm. She winced slightly when he pulled out of her, careful to be gentle. Jughead collapsed on top on her, careful not to crush her with is body weight. They laid there for a few long moments. Steadying their breathing, coming down from the new known high.

He lifted his head to look at her. She was spent, looking exhausted but oh so beautiful.

"Are you okay?" Jughead asked her with a quiet voice. "Did I hurt you?"

Betty couldn't speak- so she just shook her head. Her mind was in a whirlwind and she couldn't believe what had just happened between them. He was genuinely concerned for her and her heart tinged at his words. He placed a long kiss against her forehead, and she pulled she sheet over her body, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

They laid there for quite some time, sleep had almost overcome her, and she wanted nothing more than to give into it. But suddenly Jughead stood from the bed and pulled her into his arms. Their skin to skin contact made her shiver but she was too spent to care about the vulnerable position that he had her in. He walked them into the hotels large shower and turned on the water, careful to hold her away from the harsh cold spray. Once he felt like she could stand, he lowered her to her feet.

Jughead began to remove some of the many pins she had holding up her now messy hair. Betty groggily helped him, her blonde tendrils soon falling to her shoulders. She leaned in and Jughead placed a small kiss against her forehead as the now warm spray of water began to pelt against them.

"Let's get cleaned up..."

"Thank you Juggie." Betty muttered after a moment.

"For what?"

"For being amazing..." She shrugged. His heart tinged at her words and he didn't know what to say to her- so her just kissed her. One of her hands adventured down their bodies and attempted to touch him. He backed away, not losing contact with her mouth.

"Baby, we can't..." He broke their kiss. "You'll be too sore." She let out a grumbled sigh but nodded. "Soon... I promise." He told her and she couldn't wait for whenever soon was. Her eyes were heavy and in need of sleep. He laughed softly, the sound filling her ears in ecstasy. "C'mon, we need to get you to bed."

Betty woke up with a sharp sigh. She squinted at the alarm clock. The red illuminated numbers read just after three in the morning. She was naked and curled tightly into Jugheads side, her head against his chest. She thought back to the last few hours. Her senior homecoming had ended up being no disappointment as she made note of the dull ache between her legs. Jughead was right- she was sore. She couldn't really remember what had happened after he'd had his way with her- the recovery being an overall fog. She faintly remembered them crawling into bed and him insisting that she sleep, the very thing soon over taking her entire being.

She let out a soft sigh and watched him twitch as her exhale blew against his chest. She traced circles with her nail gently against his abdomen, her mind replying the night a few times.

"You're supposed to be asleep..." He muttered softly and she jumped. He left out a gentle laugh. The movement from his lungs caused her head to shift.

"You scared me..." She gasped. "I thought you were asleep."

"Are you okay?" He asked her suddenly. She didn't say anything, and he instantly got nervous. "Betts?"

"I love you Juggie," Betty muttered fearfully into the air after a moment. "I don't want to be afraid of it anymore." She tried to meet his eyes, finally gaining the courage to glance up at him. She could feel him tense underneath her. All his muscles seemed to contract, and his eyes couldn't meet hers. "Jug?"

"Betts, no." Was all the he offered in an edged tone. "You- you can't love me."

"What?" Betty sat up, holding the sheet to her bare chest. "Why?"

"Because Betty… - I wouldn't know what do with it."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Her tone grew defensive. Jughead let out a grumbled sigh and stood from the bed. Betty tried not to admire the toned aspect of his ass, her blood beginning to boil in her veins. "You can't tell me how to feel Jug." He slid his boxers up his legs, before grabbing a t-shirt from his bag and throwing it over his head. His brain was at war with itself, not being able to dissect how he felt in the moment. He began to walk to the balcony door, and he heard her voice raise in pitch as he walked away from her. "Jug?" She muttered. "Jughead!"

_This is exactly what she feared would happen... why were her worst fears coming true?_

Betty secured the sheet tighter around her body, attempting to stand from the mattress. She grabbed the dress shirt that she'd stripped from his shoulders the few hours previous. She shrugged into over her shoulders and pulled it close to her body as she followed him out to the balcony. The cold wind hit her bare legs and goosebumps rose upon her skin. Betty crossed her arms, pulling his shirt closer to her body.

"Juggie?" She touched his shoulder lightly and he turned back to her quickly.

"Don't you get it!?" Jughead said frantically, his voice raising in pitch. "N- No one loves me, you can't love me."

"That's bullshit Jug and you know it." Betty said after a scoff.

"Oh, because you know so much about me, huh?" Jughead watched as the walls she'd broken down began to build themselves back up again. He hated seeing himself hurt her, but he knew he couldn't have her. He couldn't believe that'd he'd been stupid enough to take _everything_ away from her. She was going to crumble before him, and it was all his fault.

But Betty couldn't love him. Everyone that loved him eventually left him and he'd never survive if their fate was the same…

So, he'd blame himself for their demise. He'd shout at her and upset her enough to want to leave him, because that would be less painful than taking the dive only to drown in desperation and desolation.

She looked into his eyes with a gaze of almost _disgust._Betty couldn't believe that this is how their night would end. She'd been brave, just like he'd asked her to be. She'd trusted him with all of her, she'd given herself over to him with no argument because the feelings she felt so deep in her bones told her that it was _right_. How did he expect her _not_ to fall in love with him?

"Who are you?" She muttered slowly, her voice cracking at the last syllable. He dropped their eye contact with his tongue in his cheek and his hands on his hips. He was pushing her away- this she knew. But what she couldn't understand was _why_?

Betty walked away from him. She made her way back into the hotel room and planted herself in a seat on the bed. She wrapped his dress shirt tighter around her body and when his scent hit her senses, she let out a shaky breath, running a hand through her mess of hair. She was sore between her legs and she suddenly hated him for it. How could he do such a thing? He knew how important and sacred anything that she gave him was, any _part_ of herself, and yet he seemed so willing to hurt her. Betty couldn't help the tears that formed at the edges of her eyes as she watched him on the balcony. His back was to her and she could see that his shoulders were tense. Her palms met her face in utter exasperation. She had no idea what to do and her brain was so cloudy. She'd been fighting with her bottled up feelings for weeks, but this was so much worse, and she couldn't believe that this is how the night had gone.

Betty wasn't sure how long she sat there with her legs dangling off the bed, her fingers gripping the sheets on the edge of the mattress. She'd look up every once in a while and find him still hunched over the railing of the balcony. She caught his movement in her peripheral and followed his defeated body back into the room before he shut himself in the bathroom. Betty let out an aggravated sigh into the ceiling. She didn't know what to do as her brain rummaged for any sense of relief… who had she turned into?

Jughead pounded a strong hand against the shower tile. Slapping water droplets back at himself before he ran his hands down his face in frustration.

_What the fuck had he just done?_

He was an idiot- an absolute asshole and she had a right to be angry with him. _Hell_, that's what he wanted. He couldn't get her broken eyes out of his head. He hadn't been able to picture anything else and it killed him. Water dripped from the ends of his hair, hitting the floor at his feet. He felt absolutely disgusting and horrible for taking something so sacred from her, right before throwing it back in her face. He wanted to scream. He wanted to allow the pent-up aggression to free from his lungs, but he didn't think the guests above them would appreciate very much.

Jughead turned off the water. He decided that it was time to face her. He couldn't be a coward- hiding from her in the bathroom. He wrapped a towel around his waist and shook out his wet hair, so it wasn't sopping. Hopefully she'd give him the chance to explain himself. Hopefully she wasn't extremely angry with him. Jughead took a deep breath before he turned the metal door handle.

"Betts…" He muttered as he walked out of the steam filled bathroom.

But Betty was gone. Along with any that trace there might've been of her there. She'd seemingly put her dress back on and collected her things. She even taken it upon herself to fold his dress shirt that she'd been wearing and placed it neatly on the bed. He picked it up, her lingering scent overwhelming his senses. The shock didn't quite catch up with him until his eyes met the bedside table. She laid the corsage he'd gotten her along the top of it along with a note. Three simple words that had him collapsed on the bed in a sigh.

'_**I'm sorry,**____**Juggie.'**_

He was a fucking idiot.


	9. Chapter 9: Vanish

Betty sat amongst the disheveled sheets with her face in her hands. She reached up to squeeze her hair at the roots in frustration. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to feel weak. She listened for a moment as the faintest sound of the shower running invaded her inner ears. She couldn't believe that he'd dodged her or the fact that he'd fled and locked her out like a coward. She felt like the plague and he needed to avoid her at all cost because he was at risk of being infected. Betty felt disgusting and she hated it so much.

She stood after a while. She hadn't heard the shower stream calm any and she decided to turn her sorrow into anger. If Jughead wanted it to be like this, she wasn't about to wait around for him. She felt embarrassed and played like a fool. If Jughead wanted forgiveness, damn straight he was going to chase her. She deserved to be chased.

Betty stripped herself of his shirt. She balled it in her fists in anger before throwing to the ground in an aggravated huff. Her skin grew goosebumps as she shivered, her naked skin surrounded by cold air. She found her rumpled dress and pulled it sluggishly over her body. She pulled the zipper up as much as she could with no one to help her. She kept glancing at the bathroom door, hoping he'd come to his senses and come find her, but he never did. She let her anger fuel the fire within her, her spite taking over her brain. She found a hotel notepad along the top of the in-room desk and pulled the top sheet from it. She gathered a pen, and before she regretted it, she wrote quickly.

She picked up the shirt that she'd chucked to the floor and folded it neat before placing on the mattress- just below the pillow. When her eyes met the bedside table, Betty felt her heart tinge at the beautiful corsage that he'd given her. As much as she loved it, he needed to understand just where she was at emotionally. So, she took her chicken scratch of a note and paired it with the corsage on the bedside table. She gathered the rest of her things and took a final moment to look back over the room. This would be the night that changed everything an she felt her heart crush a little more at the realization of it all.

Betty didn't let the strangled sobs escape her throat until she reached the hotel lobby. It was so late in the night that no one was around, she held a hand over her stomach in an attempt to calm its swirling. As much as she wished he would, she didn't want to risk Jughead coming after her. So, Betty pulled out her phone and called the only person she knew she could trust in the moment.

It'd been three days since Betty had walked out on Jughead. She knew she couldn't take it back, but she wasn't sure if it was the right decision. She didn't know if things would've been different if she'd stayed. If they had talked it out.

Betty had called Josie sobbing. Asking her to come at pick her up from the Fairman Hotel. Josie didn't ask any questions, she just raced to the hotel with Veronica- the two of them still together after the dance. Josie had wanted to scold her for calling at such an ungodly hour in the night, but when she saw her best friends fragile state standing on the curb in front of the darkened hotel- homecoming dress and all- she knew something bad had happened.

"B?" Josie said as they pulled up in front of her. Betty climbed in, her cheeks raw and her throat burning. Jesus, she was so tired of crying.

"Just drive." Betty clipped. "Please."

Josie just nodded, sharing a nervous look with Veronica as they examined the blonde in the back seat. She'd crumpled into a ball, silver silk and tulle swallowing her small body. She still had lingering gasps leaving her throat as she pinched her thumb and forefinger at the bridge of her nose.

Josie drove them back to her place. Her and Veronica got Betty into a hot shower and out of her wrinkled mess of a dress. They got her into some comfy clothes before Betty finally decided that she could talk.

"B…" Veronica spoke softly, holding Betty in her arms. Betty looked up and met her hazel eyes. "What happened?"

"We wanna help." Josie reassured her and placed a hand on Betty's knee. Betty nodded and let out a shaky breath.

"Did you…" Veronica started with a quiet voice. "Did you sleep with him?"

Betty looked at Josie and then Veronica with glazy eyes. Her face scrunched into a sob before she nodded, grasping onto Veronica's arms.

"Oh, babe…" Veronica held her closer, her chin resting on top on Betty's cold and wet hair.

"I-" Betty let out a strangled exhale. "I told him I love him…"

"I'm assuming he didn't take it well?" Veronica muttered.

"That asshole." Josie spat into the air.

Betty told the girls the story from start to finish, just not in so many details. She told them about him discovering her secret tattoo and being so sweet and gentle with her throughout the whole thing. When she told them that she still had a dull ache between her legs, Josie got her some pain killers. Betty told them that she'd fallen asleep, but she woke not long after. She still thought that he'd been asleep, and he'd caught her, still being his flirty self. When she'd muttered the forbidden four-letter word, was when it all went south. She wasn't sure why he'd reacted like he did. She let her wheels turn as she thought out loud- telling the girls that perhaps he was more damaged than she had ever imagined.

"How… How could he do this? I mean, I feel like such a moron." Betty put her face in her hands, her knees drawn up into her chest.

"B, please don't beat yourself up…" Josie muttered for support.

"I can't believe that you just ran out on him."

"Veronica!" Josie clipped. "That's not helping!"

"I didn't know what else to do!" Betty told them frantically. "The atmosphere between us completely shifted and I didn't know how to feel. He wouldn't even look at me and I just wanted to get out of there."

"I mean but the note…"

"Yeah B…" Josie began apologetically. "That might've been a little dramatic."

"Oh my God you guys," Betty's voice got caught in her throat. "Did I- Did I just ruin everything?"

"Are you gonna talk to him?" Veronica asked her.

"I don't know…" Betty told them truthfully with a shrug. "I never thought we'd be in this position." She scrunched her hair in her hands, before her thumbnail met her mouth. She looked out Josie's large bedroom window. The tree branch shadows broke through the cast of moonlight on the pavement as Betty let her mind sway to Jughead.

She'd gone home the next morning to her brothers incessant nagging. They screamed back and forth at each other a few times before she slammed her bedroom door in his face, wishing more than anything that she could lock it. Betty had heard him leave with the slam of the front door not too long after- convincing herself that one day he'd break it's hinges. She wanted to do nothing but curl up into her lavender colored duvet in baggy sweats, so that's exactly what she did. She wanted to climb into herself and forget that the whole weekend had happened. But it had and she couldn't deny the pain that filled her head at the thought of him and yet she was so curious as to how he felt after she'd left him so selfishly.

The fact that Betty still hadn't spoken to him in the three days since, never failed to terrify her. She made sure she locked up the front door of Pop's and soothed her hand down her skirt. She tried not the think about the cold nipping at her legs as she mental prepared herself for the walk home- reminding herself that, in the future, she'd need to bring a change of pants.

"Fangs?" Betty secured her bag tighter to her shoulder and crossed her arms to ward off the cold threatening to overtake her.

"Hey, Goo…" He said happily. He was leaning against his aged black Oldsmobile with his ankles and arms crossed.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him suspiciously.

"Jughead asked me to pick you up." He told her without hesitation. _What the hell?_ Betty thought. Was Jughead seriously so upset with her that he sent someone else to pick her up. It didn't make any sense. But then again, she'd left him- which probably pissed him off and maybe he just needed time to cool off. Being the decent guy he was however, he'd never leave her out in the cold to walk home- that she knew.

"What?" Betty muttered. "Why would Jughead-"

"He told me about what's been going on between you guys…" Fangs said into the frigid air. "And don't worry, I'm not going to tell your brother." He said it half-jokingly, but Betty watched as his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Fangs…"

"Just get in the car Goo. It's cold and I now you're probably tired. Just let me take you home."

"Why should I believe you." Betty challenged him and crossed her arms again with attitude and cocked her chin up at his figure.

Fangs let out an audible huff into the sky as he fished his phone from his jean pockets. He pulled up the messages on his screen and handed it to her.

_**J: Hey man, would you mind picking up Goo after her shift tonight?**____**If she asks, just tell her I had something come up and that I'm sorry. **_

_**F: um yeah man. NP. What do I say if she asks how I know?**_

_**J: tell her the truth. thanks man. **_

So Jughead was upset with her. That wasn't a secret. She decided she shouldn't argue with the oddity of it and handed Fangs back his phone. She really didn't want to walk home. He was right, she was tired, and it was cold. Her ankle practically screamed at her against the brisk October wind.

"Let's go." She muttered, securing her bag tighter to her shoulder as he opened the right backseat door for her. It was then that she noticed two more men, clad in leather jackets in the passenger and opposite seats from her. She could feel the hairs stand on the back of her neck as she climbed onto the old cloth seat. The interior smelled of cheap tobacco and dirty socks. Betty decided it'd be best if she breathed through her mouth.

"Goo…" Fangs spoke suddenly as he moved the gear shift. "This is Eight Ball." He hit the shoulder of the large man in the passenger seat. "And that's Junkie." He gestured to the man next her through the rearview mirror. "They're both from the Toledo den, but they just transferred to Riverdale." Betty gave Junkie a haphazard smile and a small wave from her clutched hand on her knee.

Both the men just looked filthy. They were much larger than both Jughead and Fangs, possibly older even. They had greasy dark hair and even darker circles under their eyes. Betty could see that Eight Ball had a knuckle buster on his left hand that was resting on the center console. She could hear Junkie mouth breathing in her ear and she could sense an unspoken feeling of tension and danger surrounding her. Suddenly Junkie put a strong grip on her left knee, and she let out an audible gasp. She could hear the simultaneous lock and distinct click from all the doors. She reached for the handle anyway and yanked continuously as Fangs sped up.

"Fangs!?" Betty said, almost pleadingly. She could see him eyeing her in the rearview mirror, but she didn't recognize the man that she saw looking back at her. His eyes had become slits and turned dark. She let out a strangled yell and pounded against the window as they passed Sunnyside Trailer Park. The frantic tears began to well in her eyes when they passed the school and she knew all and well that she was trapped. She felt Junkies hand on her again and she laid a panicked punch right between his eyes. He let out a yelp in pain as she let out a curdled scream.

"Put her out Junk…" She heard Eight Ball mutter into the intense air.

"No, no, no…" Betty whispered to herself as she hunched as far into herself as she could. _It was all a set up._ And there was absolutely nothing she could do. "Let me out!" She yanked at the door handle again. "Let me out- please let me out, I'm begging you!" She felt helpless and pled for Fangs to stop the car and let her out. Her tears had already begun to fall, the corners of her eyes-burning as the salt irritated her sensitive skin.

The last thing she remembered was an aggravated sigh from, who she assumed, Junkie. A hard and sharp pain came to her head, as well as a tingling feeling at the tops of her ears and behind her eyes. She felt her head before she looked at her hand and noticed the thin layer of blood that covered her fingers. She met Junkies cold and hard eyes, watching him, before he took her head again in his hand and in one swift motion, he bashed it once more into the window. Her whole world went black but not before she saw the outlined embroidered skull on the back of his leather jacket with the words that said.

_Ghoulie__Gang. _


	10. Chapter 10: Our Girl

Fangs Fogerty wasn't sure when his cross over to the _dark side_ had begun. He'd grown up with a single mother that spent her days as the Whyte Wyrm's bar keep. He'd had no other choice than to join the ranks of the Southsides infamous gang. But he wanted out. Fangs wanted a different life than running illegal guns and drugs and spending relentless days in Tallboy's workshop. He wanted praise for once. Jughead Jones seemed to have the entire gang wrapped around his little finger, regardless of his stand on the Serpents biddings in pistols and crank. The Greendale Ghoulies could offer him the freedom and praise that he so yearned for. That he _deserved._When they offered him the chance at leadership, Fangs knew that he had to deliver. But the task that the Ghoulies challenged the crossing Serpent with had to be organic, not staged or recognizably obvious. When Fangs discovered that the admirable son of the Serpent King had fallen head over heels in forbidden love with his best friends' little sister- he knew it was _perfect._ Betty Cooper was the key to all of his problems- at least the Ghoulies felt that way. Fangs never wanted to hurt her, but once he opened his mouth, he knew that there was no way for him to take it back and the plan was quickly set into action.

Betty woke with an instant pain in her head. Her temples were throbbing and there was a strange burn against her wrists. She squinted her eyes against the harsh light but didn't recognize the unfamiliar room she was in. A little bit of reality and panic set in when she realized that her hands were bound behind her. She yanked and pulled, gaining herself a painful pinching from whatever was keeping her hostage. Her skin felt tight on the right side off her face, she knew it must be from the dried blood that had seeped out when Junkie bashed her head twice into the car window as her memories raced back at her.

"Fangs?" Betty whispered out. Her voice was hoarse, and her throat was so dry. She felt like she was swallowing sandpaper. Betty let out a whimper into the surrounding air and she heard a scoffed laugh from someone in the tiny dark room. "Ahh!" She let out a yelp when a hand grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled upward.

"Topaz!" A stern voice suddenly spoke loudly.

"What?" A high-pitched voice muttered over her. "I told you I like to pull hair." She could feel the women shrug before letting go of her golden locks in dramatic fashion, nonetheless. She stepped in front of Betty who could barely see out of her one unaffected eye. Betty squinted against the sharp light that was quickly covered up by the shadow and silhouette of the women's figure. She seemingly laughed at Betty's helpless face before she laid a hard slap across her cheek.

"Ugh…" Betty let out a sharp gasp at the contact. Wanting so badly to rub the burn away that the women's hand left against her cheek. She could taste copper against her tongue and knew the women had split her lip.

"Enough Toni!" Betty heard the strong voice again before a man stepped in front of her. The women with pink tinted hair seemed to surrender and put both of her hands up in defeat, stepping back and away from Betty's hunched up body. Betty spit onto the floor, the blood had accumulated in her cheeks. She made it onto the stern stranger's boot, and he growled in anger. He grabbed Betty's chin in a hard grasp, Betty whimpering at the contact.

"You're gonna regret that, princess." He muttered close to her face. His teeth were stained yellow and his long-overgrown hair looked just as greasy and dirty as Junkie and Eight Ball's had.

"Kitty…" Someone yelled behind him. He stood and grunted in frustration. He let go of her face, throwing her head to the side, and turned away from her, wiping his hands together.

_Kitty_. It seemed so odd for a man that seemed to have as much power as him. But maybe that was the beauty in it. However, all Betty's could think of was a big, furry, and not so scary purple and blue monster from one of her favorite childhood movies.

"Jug-" Betty whispered breathlessly into the air. Her head slumped on her shoulders, her chest heaving in fear.

"What was that?" Kitty turned and asked. "Let me hear you say it again… Where's your big bad Serpent now, huh?" Betty cringed at his use of her home gang's mascot. She couldn't help the whimper that escaped through her lips. She hurt everywhere, her whole body ached, the shock and disbelief finally beginning to wear off.

Betty knew this had to be a revenge plot. They'd taken her to avenge their unspoken beef with the rival gang across Sweetwater River. They seemingly knew about her and Jughead and they were going to use it to get back at the Serpents and take what they wanted.

_A Serpent never__ran from helping its own. _

And Betty assumed that the Ghoulie's were taking that and running with it.

"Fang's." Betty heard Kitty raise his voice. She looked up from her gaze at the floor and watched a shadowed figure stand from its lean against some unknown object.

"Yeah, Boss." Betty watched as Fang's stepped into the light casted from above her. Betty couldn't believe her eyes. A boy she'd known her whole life had switched out his green embroidered leather jacket for a red one with a menacing skull.

"Take her picture…" Kitty began. "Send it to Cooper."

"Boss-" Fangs tried to interrupt.

"I'm sure he'll love to know just where his baby sister is at the moment."

"Boss that's suicide-" Fangs muttered frantically.

"Do as I say!" Kitty said in a terrifying shrill. Betty jumped in her chair and Kitty seemed to catch it out of the corner of his eye and let out a mocking chuckle. He walked away, disappearing into the darkness. Fangs stepped in front of the metal chair they'd been keeping Betty on as he held his phone with shaking hands.

Betty refused to give them the satisfaction and her gaze remained fixed on the stained and cracked concrete floors. Fang's let out a grunt and snapped his fingers.

"Toni…" He muttered.

"Ahh!" Betty felt another yank on her hair, lifting her face from the floor. Toni turned her own face away from the camera, her red embroidered skull on full display. Betty heard the simultaneous click from Fangs' camera before Toni dropped her head again. Her pink hair glittered in Betty's peripheral and Toni sputtered words into her damaged ear.

"I suggest not pulling…" She gestured to Betty's bound wrists. "It makes the burn _so_much worse."

"Wh- Why are you doing this?" Betty croaked pleadingly.

"Oh…" Toni let out in three syllables. "For revenge sweetheart."

The spite in her voice made Betty's stomach churn. Gang affiliated or not… How could a woman allow men to do this to another woman- let alone get involved?

Toni seemed to leave from behind her. Betty really couldn't tell. The remaining men and shadows seemed to dissipate away as well and Betty finally let out the sob that had riddled in her chest, bubbling at the base of her throat since she woke in the unfamiliar room. Her thoughts raced against her throbbing temples. Her eyes stung with tears and her throat was burning.

How long would it take for someone to realize that she was missing? How long would it take for someone to find her?

"Jug!" Chic crashed through Jughead's trailer door in utter panic. He'd woken with a nasty hangover from the night before and almost thought he was still drunk when an unimaginable picture popped up in his inbox. He searched the small rooms before opening the bedroom door. Jughead was pulling on a shirt and jumped at the intrusion.

"Jesus, Chic! What the hell?"

"The Ghoulies have Goo." Chic said without hesitation. Jughead's face fell and twisted at his words in disbelief.

"What?" Jughead muttered.

"Hell, didn't you hear me?" Chic picked up Jughead's Serpent jacket and threw it at him. "The fucking Ghoulies have Magoo."

"What do you mean they have Goo?" Jughead's face turned white once he comprehended just exactly what Chic was telling him. Chic walked closer and let out a frustrated huff. He showed Jughead the screen on his phone and Jughead clenched his knuckles at the sight. Betty's face was covered in battered bruises and cuts. There was blood all over the front of her, coming from at least one of her ears. A woman had lifted her head by her hair with a scrunch fist, the Ghoulie Gang logo could be seen plain as day against her back. "Jesus Christ…" Jughead thought he might be sick. He didn't have a weak stomach, but the sight of Betty, _his Betty_, tied up against her will had sent him toppling over the edge.

"It's from Fang's…" Chic told him.

"Fang's?" Jughead clipped. "Why the hell would Fang's send that to you?"

"Because he's a fucking traitor that's why, now let's go."

"Go?" Jughead asked incredulously. "Go where exactly?"

"To tell the others, we have to save her Jughead!"

"Okay, but how? We don't even know where they're keeping her…"

"We'll figure out, c'mon."

Jughead watched as Chic turned away from him. Knowing full and well he'd expect him to follow him. Jughead just stood in disbelief, his leather jacket hanging from his clenched fists. He'd known it was too dangerous getting into relations with Betty. He'd put her in danger, and he felt so much to blame. He fished his phone from his pocket and cursed at the screen. She'd texted him late the previous night and told him that she'd called in for her shift and didn't need a ride. He should've known something was up, that wasn't like Betty at all. But partly he understood. Their tensive parting after she'd shared her love for him, and he couldn't say it back had left them in an obdurate and awkward place. The last time he'd seen her, she'd left him in tears, her heart hearting and he was the only one to blame.

"Jug?" Chic suddenly broke him from his stupor, jumbling his shoulder.

"Chic…" Jughead spoke out. "There's something you need to know."

"What? Jug we really don't have time for this."

"It's too dangerous for you not know…" Jughead spoke incredulously. "You just- You need to understand that I never meant for any of this to happen. This is the last thing that I thought could happen- I never meant for her to get hurt."

"Jughead?" Chic spoke suspiciously. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I-" Jughead stuttered. Finding the words difficult to say, regardless of them being the needed truth. "Betty and I… we've sorta been… seeing each other."

"You what?" Chic muttered after a moment. "No…" Chic shook his head and ran his palm over his mouth in doubt.

"I just- I didn't mean for it to happen, it just-"

"What do you mean you've been s_eeing each other_?" Chic attempted to say calmly. Jughead couldn't meet his eyes and just shook his head. "You've been fucking my baby sister?" Chic spat in utter disbelief. Jughead cringed as his crude mouth. It didn't make any sense and if it was possible, Jughead was sure there'd been fire spewing from his ears.

"Chic I-" Chic launched himself forward and hauled Jughead into the closest wall, balling his shirt in both of his hands. "It's not like that Chic!"

"I really don't give a shit what it's like…"

"What do you think?!" Jughead muttered breathlessly between them. "You honestly think I meant to fall for my best friends' little sister?" Jughead grabbed both of Chic's hands with his own and pushed him away with all the strength he could muster up.

"Do you love her?" Chic asked him incredulously, his chest heaving. It was the last thing Jughead expected his best friend to ask him, but it was the same question that he'd been asking himself for the last week. He honestly would've told him that he was unsure, but then he remembered her beat up body defeated in the chair that she was being kept on and all the memories that he had of them together came rushing back at him. He remembered how he'd felt the last three days, after she'd left him. He remembered her eyes as they stared brokenly back at him when he told her that she couldn't love him. He always thought that he could never love her, but then he realized that'd he'd never said that to her... because it wasn't true.

"_Yeah_…" Jughead muttered simply.

"Oh, my fucking God…" Chic let out a mocking laugh into the air and took another step back.

"Why do you think we didn't fucking tell you, man?"

"How long?" Chic asked shortly.

"What?"

"How long have you two been… seeing each other."

"Almost two months-" Jughead muttered quietly. Chic's arms hit his sides in an aggravated huff, and he scoffed into the sky.

"Jesus fuck, man… You've been sneaking around for two months?"

"She's really good at it." Jughead said with a shrug- it was all he could think to say in the moment.

"I don't have time for this shit." Chic put his hands up, surrendering. "Let's go."

"You're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm fucking livid- but we don't have time to do this right now. We need to find her before she gets seriously hurt because there isn't a doubt in my mind that the Ghoulies won't seriously hurt her."

With that the two boys left the trailer. Their Serpent jackets on their backs as they revved their motorbikes to the Whyte Wyrm; both only thinking about their most prized possession_. Betty. _

Betty heard a heavy door squeak open before slamming closed. She opened her eyes with a squint and lifted her head slowly. She watched a girl seemingly slither through the room, almost in search of someone.

"Shesh, they really did a number on you, huh?" The woman met at Betty's side and stroked her hair back off her face. She'd broken out in a sheen of sweat, both from the hot light above her and the pain that radiated her body. Betty whimpered as the women pulled some of the hair from the dried blood along her face. "I'm Ethel… here." She uncapped a plastic water bottle and pressed it against Betty's bottom lip and tipped it upward. Betty took it willingly, her throat scratchy and dry. She swallowed quickly, water dribbling onto her chin as she gasped at the sudden intrusion of hydration.

"More…" Betty clipped. Ethel let out a half-laugh and tipped the water bottle against her mouth again. "Please…" Betty muttered softly. "Let me go."

"You know I can't do that." Ethel told her with a gentle voice.

"Why- Why are you doing this?"

"I don't know why they feel the need to hurt you. These guys are nasty men, you need to be careful." Ethel told her truthfully. "Don't fight back, it'll only make them hit you harder- I promise." There was so much empathy in the woman's voice. Betty caught herself wondering why the girl was being so nice toward her.

"Where am I?" Betty asked with strangled breath.

"An old warehouse in Greendale." Ethel said as she offered Betty another sip of water.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Betty felt her lip begin to split again and she winced at the discomfort.

"I may be a Ghoulie…" Ethel held out her wrist in Betty's line of vision and showed her the skull tattoo that she had there. "But I definitely don't agree with their methods. I don't ever think a man should hit a woman, but I also understand how little these men think of women." Ethel told her. "What's your name?"

"Betty…" She told her with a croaked voice.

"It's nice to meet you Betty," Ethel said with a smile. "Although I wish it was under better circumstances." Ethel stroked her knuckles against Betty's bruised face. "I'll be back later. Don't tell anyone I was here."

"My brother will find me." Betty told her confidently.

"Don't you get it?" Ethel muttered turning back. "That's exactly what they want…"

With that Ethel left. Betty let out a small whimper and groaned at the pain and pressure she felt at her ribs. She hadn't listened to Toni and had disobediently pulled and yanked at the ties on her hands. She knew that she'd rubbed them raw. She was overall thankful for Ethel's unnecessary kindness. But she wanted to get out of there, and she hoped, more than anything in her existence, that at least one of the two important men in her life had figured out that she wasn't where she was supposed to be.

Jughead and Chic rushed into the Whyte Wyrm in a frenzy. They'd gathered everyone together and told them about the Greendale Ghoulies taking Betty hostage. They made quick work with the resources in trying to locate her. Jughead tried his best to calm his emotions and only thought about trying to find her and get her safe. He didn't want to know if she'd ever forgive him or just how bad the Ghoulies had roughed her up.

"I think they're at the old Stockholm Factory." Sweet Pea spoke over everyone.

"What?" Jughead suddenly stopped his pacing. "How do you know?"

"Okay, you see here?" Sweet Pea pointed to the screen of the desktop computer he sat in front of. He was the Serpents hacker and had heat source access over the entire and surrounding towns.

"Yeah…" Jughead nodded as he looked over all the bright colored hues among the screen's layout of the warehouse.

"It's lit up like a damn Christmas tree. It's within the Ghoulie's territory and I wouldn't doubt if that's where they're keeping her." Sweet Pea told them. "I can't believe Fang's would do something like this."

Jughead and Chic had stormed into the Whyte Wyrm in a brazen haze. Neither one of them knew what the next step to take would be and they were both utterly terrified for Betty's safety. Chic had shown all the surrounding Serpent's the photo that Fang's had sent him of Betty's wounded body. He'd sent it around three in the morning, but Chic had been well ingulfed in a drunken sleep by then. It was now closing in on one in the afternoon the he could only imagine what they were doing to Betty now. They had to find her, they had to save her. A rescue mission wasn't something that they did often or ever if Jughead was being truthful. He hadn't had the slightest idea of what to do.

The Serpents were good at two things. Drugs and guns. The two things that Jughead vowed himself to never get into business with. It was only time until the Ghoulie's decided to strike back on the vengeful rival gang. The Serpents had begun to steal some of the Ghoulie's best clientele. Their prices being cheaper and the service- overall better. But frankly, Jughead never saw them retaliating in such an unimaginable way. They'd taken Betty hostage. Fangs Fogarty, one of their own, had taken her away from him. Jughead knew that they'd done it to get a writhe out of him and oh did it work.

"No, no..." Jughead muttered into the air. "It's too easy- it's like they want us to find them."

"Unless that's exactly what they want..." Sweet Pea said meekly.

"Jesus-" Chic finally spoke out. For the most part he'd been quiet. Jughead thought that it must have been shock. The shock of his enemies taking his precious baby sister against her will and utterly punishing her for the Serpents idiocy. "What the fuck kind of business do they even have with taking her?" He said in exasperation as his hand hit against his sides.

"I don't know man…" Jughead muttered. They sat around a meeting table with a handful of the other Serpents and attempted to draw up a rescue plan.

"I- I think I might know…" One of the smaller Serpents spoke up.

"Nimbus? What are you talking about?" Chic asked. Nimbus stood from his lean against the wall. He had joined the rank the previous year. Jughead and Chic had attempted to take him under their wing- show him the ropes and the ins and outs of the Serpents. Oliver Nimbus was hardheaded however, he always thought he was right and somehow always ended up in trouble- _with Fangs_.

"I- I know how it looks but I just want to say that I had no idea that Fangs was wrapped up in all this shit. I didn't know that he'd crossed over to the _dark side_ and I damn straight didn't help plan them abducting your sister Chic…" Nimbus spoke fast and Jughead readjusted his position- looking at him and crossing his arms.

"Spill it, Nimbus." Jughead clipped.

"I… I know about The Book." Nimbus spoke slowly.

"You what!?" Chic roared as he pounded his fist into the table beneath him.

"I know, but- but…" Chic suddenly picked him up by the lapels of his jacket and slammed him into the table.

"Enough!" Tallboy suddenly rang out. He and Jughead lurched forward and pulled Chic off of Nimbus with force.

"Fangs knows about the book?" Jughead asked once they'd settled and Nimbus had readjusted himself.

"He's the one who showed me, man."

"Fuck…" Chic seethed. He ran a hand over his mouth and turned away from them. He threw his forehead against the wall and let out a sharp exhale.

They all knew what it meant. If Nimbus was right, the Ghoulies wanted access to one of the Serpents most powerful and important weapons. It was a list of all their most important clients. It had all their contact information and every transaction that they'd ever made. It was leverage- just in case any of them ever tried to get out of line and try the Serpents on their illegal biddings. Except it wasn't a book at all, it was all contained on a flash drive and only a few members of the Serpents knew about the privileged information and even fewer of them actually had access to it. Being the son of the Serpent King, Jughead had access to the very memory stick.

"We need to call your dad, Jug..." Chic said suddenly.

"No. No way, we're not involving him." Jughead shook his head profusely.

"Jughead..." Tallboy sputtered.

"I said no! Betty is already in enough danger. He'd be no help to the situation."

They all sat in silence for a while. The room was tense as everyone tried to think of a possible good outcome to their situation. Jughead suddenly let out a sharp sigh. He ran a hand over his face and stood from the table. He didn't make eye contact with anyone as he beelined for the door. Tallboy put a strong hand on his shoulder midstride.

"You know you can't do that." Tallboy said in a stern voice. "It would ruin us…"

"Get the fuck off of me!" Jughead sneered, twisting his shoulder out of Tallboy's grasp.

"Jug," Chic spoke.

"They could kill her- do you not understand that!?" Jughead yelled.

"I want to get her out of there just as much as you do Jughead, but we can't risk everything we've worked years to build!" Chic voice rose with emotion and Jughead couldn't believe his ears.

"Are you fucking serious right now!?" Jughead snapped back. "She's your Goddamned sister Chic- does that mean nothing to you?"

"He's right Jughead…" Tallboy spoke again. "We can't risk it."

"I can't believe you guys right now…" Jughead shook his head. "What about the third rule? She's one of us, there's no fucking way that we just abandon her because you're all worried about some damn flash drive!"

"You don't get it, Jughead!" Chic said. "You don't want to be involved with the illegal side of it- you don't understand what's on the line here."

"What I understand… Is the fact they each and every one of you took an oath to protect your own and now you want to bail out with your tail between your legs because you're fucking scared!"

"Jug…"

"I _am_ going to save her- with or without you." With that he walked away. He didn't listen to their voices yell after him as he locked himself into the Wyrm's vault room. He punched in the respective code and grabbed the flash drive quickly, shoving it deep into his jacket pocket. His mind was in an absolute whirlwind. He let himself winddown for a moment before he faced them again. He hadn't even comprehended the last three hours of his life. How the hell had he gotten to this point? He took a deep breath before he unlocked the door and faced Tallboy's figure.

"Get the hell out of my way…" He seethed.

"Jughead… We'll stand with you." Tallboy told him. "We took an oath- she's one of us too and we protect our own. We can't wary from that."

"You're right, Jug… We gotta save her." Sweet Pea spoke up.

"I have a plan… Let's go." They began to scatter, grabbing their respected weapons and Serpent printed leather. Chic met beside Jughead and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go get our girl…"


	11. Chapter 11: From Evil

Betty allowed herself to fall asleep. Her shaking body had been overcome with slumber only to be woken up with a gasp and a harsh slap against her cheek.

"Wake up, princess." Toni spat.

"Wh- What's happening? Where are you taking me?" Betty's eyes opened to pure darkness. Toni had a blindfold put over her eyes and she could feel someone untying her hands.

"I can see you didn't take my advice." Toni spoke of her in spite. Betty assumed she was taking about her traumatized wrists. Toni pulled Betty's hands into her lap and tied them again upfront. "Get her up, Junk."

_Junkie._ Betty's legs gave out from under her as strong hands pulled her upward under her arms. She tried to remember what Ethel had told her.

_Don't fight back, it'll only make it worse. _

"How's your nose?" Betty said with as much malice as she could muster, unable to help herself. Remembering the swift punch that she'd laid between his eyes before he'd knocked her out. "Urgh!" She let out a groan as she earned herself a quick elbow to her ribs- from who she could only assume was Toni. "Where… Where are you taking me?" She muttered painfully and slowly.

"We're going to see your little boy toy…" Toni spat.  
"Wh-What?" Betty's voice feathered. "No."

"Oh- and your brother!" Toni said happily. "And any of your other Serpent trash that decided they wanted die today."

"You…" Betty groaned. "You won't kill anybody."

"We won't?" She suddenly heard Junkie speak in her other ear. Her feet shuffled against the floor as he pulled her along forcefully. They stopped briefly and Junkie seemed to throw Betty's battered body into Toni's arms. Betty tried to hold herself when she gasped suddenly. She felt something cold and hard against her face, but not being able to see- she wasn't sure if she should be terrified of it or not.

She suddenly heard the click of the pull back against her ear and it proved her worst fears. She swallowed hard and she swore everyone could hear it.

Junkie had a _gun_.

And something told her that he definitely wasn't afraid to use it.

"Jesus Christ," Betty quickly turned her heard at the sound of the new voice. "Enough Junkie!" Betty recognized the tone of Fang's voice and decided that he was going to be her only hope.

"Fang's!" She rang out. "Please- Please don't let them hurt me…"

"Shut up!" Toni hissed in her ear as she tightened the grip she had on her upper arm.

"Get her in the van." She heard Fang's say. She wanted to see his face. His voice had been traced with fragments of regret and she wondered if his face looked the same. How could he do this to her? To the Serpents?

"Junkie!" Betty suddenly heard a frantic voice mutter into the heavy air. Betty looked around aimlessly she could hear a sudden commotion coming from what sounded like a nearby room. But all she could see was the darkness sounding her and all of her nerve endings seemed to fire at once. Fear and anxiousness were set into her bones like a brand.

"Go Junk!" Toni said anxiously. "I got her… go!"

Betty heard Junkie let out an aggravated growl before he let go of her arm. Betty tried to pull away from Toni's grasp, yanking her arms away before she was dragged roughly a couple more feet.

"What's going on?" Betty muttered frantically. Toni stopped them then and began to untie Betty's wrists again.

"Sit." Toni demanded. She grabbed Betty's upper arm and yanked her to the floor. She pulled Betty's arms behind her back and secured them again. Betty could feel something cold and hard against her back. She thought it must've been a pipe of some sort because the harsh protrusions dully poked against her spine and when she leaned forward her hands could only go so far before she earned herself a sharp pain in her shoulders.

Betty let out a small panicked yelp when Toni pulled the blindfold from her eyes. She quickly shoved the black cloth tight against Betty's mouth and she panicked- squirming as the muffled sounds escaped her throat. It was the first time Betty had clearly seen Toni's face and what was worse- she was actually pretty.

"Don't scream…" Toni told her calmly. Betty's eyes went wide as she watched Toni walk away from her, pulling a handgun from the back waistband of her jeans. She watched as Toni climbed a rickety flight of stairs two at a time before throwing open a metal door and letting it slam behind her. Betty couldn't hear much, which she thought was odd. She knew something had happened that had affected the Ghoulie's plan and she thought to herself- maybe the Serpents could teach them something about poker faces.

"What's the plan, boss?" Sweet Pea asked in a whisper. They huddled along the far side of the warehouse. The sun had almost completely set, and the darkness would swallow them up if they didn't move quickly.

They all knew the plan. They'd wouldn't go in, guns blazing and destined for demise. Jughead would hand over The Book to Kitty, in exchange for Betty. Hitting them in the warehouse was dangerous, but they Ghoulies wouldn't see them coming and it gave the Serpents an added edge. Jughead only hoped that the plan wouldn't go south. Both sides had something the others wanted, and a fair trade seemed doable. However, he also knew that both sides were hardheaded and savage, and guns ablaze might be the only outcome. The Serpents knew how to defend themselves; they knew weapons. The Ghoulies were young and naïve, still getting their bearings in the gang world- taking Betty had been straight up idiocy on their part, they had no right and their plan wasn't even remotely planned out well.

"I planted the bait..." Jughead muttered. "I texted Fang's and asked him to meet me at Jefferson's old market."

"Wait, what?" Chic asked, confused.

"I told him that we got the message and we know what he wants." Jughead told them. "My guess is, if we're right and they are here- their probably getting close to transferring her- they'll be vulnerable and that's when we attack."

"Have you thought this through Jug? I mean what's to say they don't shoot us when we walk in the door?" Sweet Pea said incredulously.

"I told you... I have a plan."

Just then a loud noise sounded just around the corner on the other side of the building. They all huddled closer together and Jughead placed a finger against his lips, signaling them to be quiet. Jughead carefully glanced around the corner, hiding his gaze behind a worn wooden post. A Ghoulie had opened one the warehouse's large old garage doors and was climbing into a rusted utility van. Jughead hadn't expected the gang member to be a woman. She looked to be about thirty, blonde, and was obnoxiously chewing bubble gum- tossing the van keys into the air playfully before catching them in her fishnet finger gloved hand.

"Penny let's go! Hurry it up!" Jughead could hear someone hiss from inside the building.

"I'm coming!" She yelled back with the roll of her eyes. "Goddamn." She mumbled under her breath. She jumped back out of the van after she'd turned on its engine and Jughead signaled Tallboy to take his shot.

Tallboy placed a strong hand over Penny's mouth from behind. She let out a gasp and Tallboy just as quickly pinned both of her hands behind her back. From anyone's outside view, he'd done this before. She knew better than to scream, he applied slight pressure to the side of her neck with the crook of his elbow. Penny sunk into a pressure point induced slumber and Tallboy leaned her body against the building's tin siding.

"Jesus Christ, Tallboy!" Jughead muttered.

"What?" He snapped back. "Did you have a better idea? We need to get in that building- and we need to go now." Jughead let out a huff and ran a hand over his mouth. Chic shoved his shoulder and cocked his chin, nudging at him that he wanted to talk privately.

"Stay back." Chic said calmly.

"What?!" Jughead snapped. "No way, man."

"Jug, this isn't your scene- you could get yourself killed!"

"I gotta save her Chic!" Jughead muttered frantically.

"We're going in blind here... You can be our lookout from the outside."

"Chic... What about the drive?" Chic glanced around; his eyes panicked.

"Give it to me." He held out his hand.

"You know I can't do that." Jughead said with a half-laugh.

"Give me the fucking drive, Jug!" Chic nearly yelled. "We don't have time to waste, she could be dead in there for all we know..." Jughead face went white at Chic's words as he mumbled a few breathless sounds.

"Don't say that..."

"Well..." Chic held out his hand again and pulled his fingers in, ushering for Jughead to give him The Book.

Jughead tapped his foot against the ground and let out a sigh. The sounds and voices from the other Serpents invaded his ears and he wanted to scream. He reached into his pocket and slapped the drive into Chic's palm before sticking a finger in his face.

"Don't make me regret this..."

Betty looked around at her surroundings. The cold concrete against her thighs caused her to shiver. There were industrial shelfs that lined the large open room. Beams met the ceiling from the floor every ten feet or so. Ethel hadn't lied to her when she'd told her they were keeping her in an old warehouse. The air smelled of must and dirt, the floors being splattered with various colors of paint.

She couldn't help the tears that left her burning eyes and met the hem of the cloth now in her mouth. It was sucking any of the moisture she'd had on her tongue and in her cheeks- making her throat dry. She had scraps on both her knees, and she didn't even know how they'd gotten there. He could see droplets and streaks of blood in her skirt and along the tops of her breasts. Her head felt like a hammer had been pound against his. Her ribs ached and the fact that she couldn't hear very well only had her slightly worried. The whole last day had been a whirlwind. She could only assume it was the next day. She honestly didn't know how long she'd been knocked out. The sun was setting, and the sunlight shined through the small windows the lined the high ceilings and Betty squinted against it. She whimpered into the air and suddenly heard the loud pop of a gunshot. A terrified sob left her throat and she jumped. She heard a large door creak open simultaneously but relief surged through her veins when she saw Ethel appear from the shadows.

Ethel met in front of Betty and her fingers met the cloth against her cheeks.

"I'm going to take it off." She told Betty. "But you can't scream." Ethel waited for Betty to nod in understanding before she gently pulled the cloth from Betty's mouth. A quiet gasp and sob left her throat at the lack of pressure. Ethel quickly went to Betty's side and began untying her restraints.

"Wh- What are you doing?" Betty's voice feathered softly.

"I'm getting you out of here." Ethel told her. She glanced around the room and Betty could tell she was nervous. She was definitely not supposed to be doing this.

"What's going on?" Betty asked her. She felt her wrists become free and she pulled them into her lap, rubbing at them vigorously.

"Exactly what you said…" Ethel told her with a soft smile. Betty blinked at her, registering her words.

"They found me?" Ethel nodded and helped her stand. Betty let out a sudden gasp and put a hand on her chest. "The gunshot?"

"I don't know…" Ethel shook her head and told her regretfully. "C'mon." Betty kept her feet planted on the ground, even as Ethel gently took her hand. "You can trust me…" Ethel spoke softly. "I promise."

Betty knew she had two choices. She could stay there in the room; but she had no idea where she was or how to get out of there. Or she went with Ethel, who hadn't lied to her up to this point and genuinely seemed worried about her.

She decided to go with the latter of the two. Betty allowed Ethel to take her hand and she walked them through the large room. Another gunshot suddenly sounded and they both jumped, Betty flinched into herself.

"C'mon." Ethel pulled her along.

Ethel pushed through a large metal door and pulled Betty out with her. That's when she saw him. Relief left her lungs as confusion clouded her brain. She didn't understand why he wasn't inside with the rest of them, but she didn't care. Betty finally let the terrified tears fall from her eyes as she used all of her energy to run to Jughead. He muttered her name as his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. She jumped in his arms and wanted to bury herself within him. Betty clung to him as Jughead tried to soothe her with his embrace, trying to be careful where he touched- realizing just how bad she'd been beaten. Sobs riddled from her chest as Jughead pulled her face into view to get a good look at her. The shadows casted by the moon and large building didn't help and it was then, almost as if she'd been waiting to see him, she collapsed.

Betty's body collided with his in a limp pile as he shuddered a gasp and eased her to the ground. Jughead pushed the hair back from her face as he took in her sunken eyes, red and raw wrists, and blood covered face and clothing.

_What the hell had they done to her? _

He felt the bile rise in his throat as he muttered her name over and over again- trying to coax her from the slumber that had overtaken her. Just then he heard another pop from a gunshot and his body shuddered with the lack of knowledge he had about what the hell was going on in there. He let out a loud grunt and scooped her body into his arms.

Just then, bodies began to scatter from the large building. Chic was one of the first ones out and looked at his best friend with disbelief, never did he think he'd see his baby sister hanging lifelessly in Jughead's arms.

"What the fuck..." Chic muttered. His hands and white t-shirt were stained with blood and he had sweat dripping from his forehead. Jughead turned from them in search of a Serpent that he knew had driven something other than a motorbike. "Jug-"

"We gotta get her to a hospital, man- it's bad..." He glanced down at her body and tried to hide the emotion in his voice. "It's really bad."

Sweet Pea and Nimbus grabbed each of Ethel's arms simultaneously as she grunted and tried to wiggle free from their grasps.

"Let her go!" Jughead yelled at the two men you looked at him incredulously.

"Jug-" Sweet Pea muttered incredulously.

"She helped Betty escape, she's no danger to us..." He told them. Sweet Pea and Nimbus seemed to glance at each other before they each let go of Ethel with a huff.

"I have a car..." She said after she readjusted her jacket and shot dirty looks at the both men. "I can take you to the hospital."

"Let's go." Jughead muttered as her started to follow her.

"Jughead- you're seriously trusting her?" Chic said in disbelief. He met at his best friend's side and glanced down at Betty's small body. He was able to see the slow rise and fall in her chest- so as for now, she was still breathing.

"She needs a fucking doctor Chic! I'm not waiting around..." Jughead shrugged him off and met Ethel's stride. "I'll text you when we get to the hospital, get everybody out of here..." Jughead told Chic. "Now!"

"C'mon baby... wake up for me, please." Jughead muttered as he held Betty's body against his chest. His voice feathered and he was terrified. His t-shirt becoming streaked with rust colored marks. She hadn't let out a single noise and Jughead was scared shitless. He knew her face was pretty beaten up. She had a black eye on the right side of her face and small cuts on her cheeks and bottom lip. There was dried blood in her hair and along the right side of her face. Her whole body had broken out in a sheen of sweat and he knew that it meant that she was probably in pain- her body making her pass out to cope with it. He couldn't imagine what was going on inside of her body- under her skin where he couldn't see. She had scuffs on both knees and her Pop's uniform was dirty and ripped at her skirt. He cursed and kissed her head- pulling her closer to his body as Ethel drove her old Cadillac under strobing streetlight hues through the Southside of town. She kept glancing in the rearview mirror at them in the back and Jughead knew that she was just as worried as he was.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked her quietly.

"I- I never wanted this life..." She told him truthfully. "I never wanted to hurt people."

"Aren't you afraid?" He asked her and she looked back at him with confusion in her eyes. "That they'll hurt you for helping her escape?"

"I- I just won't go back..." She muttered sadly and quietly.

"What about your family?"

"I don't have any family."

"C'mon, everybody has family."

"The Ghoulies were my family... those monsters get off on hurting innocent people- I don't want to be associated with them any longer." She told him. But the meekness in her voice told him that she was at least a little bit scared.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'll figure it out." She told him with a light smile, meeting his eyes with hers in the rearview mirror. How could someone so helpless be caught up in something so ruthless? Yet, the girl collapsed in his arms only second proved the very disbelief that clouded his brain and he quickly realized how fucked up their universe was.

"Thank you..." Jughead told her after a moment. She looked up into the mirror again. "Thank you for getting her out of there..." Jughead looked down at Betty again. "I- I never caught your name but thank you."

"It's Ethel." She told him with a soft smile. Jughead nodded with a sincere and sad smile before he tried to coax Betty awake once more. It was no use and he wished more than anything that they'd get to the hospital faster.


	12. Chapter 12: Convalesce

It'd been two days since the Serpents had rescued Betty from the Ghoulies. Two days since she'd passed out in Jughead's arms and she hadn't woken since. Jughead had rushed her to the emergency room where doctors discovered on top of all the injuries to the outside of her body, she also had a broken rib, a blown left ear drum, and a ruptured spleen. The doctors had rushed Betty to surgery while Jughead never left the hospital.

Chic joined him not too long after Betty had gone to surgery. They were both nervous wrecks and in even more trouble when Alice learned about Betty's condition. The boys had told her that it was too dangerous for her to have been involved, they regretted not telling her themselves but after all, word travels fast in a hospital.

Jughead sat next to Betty's hospital bed, holding her hand in his and willing her silently to wake up. He held her knuckles against his lips and muttered apologizes against them. He never thought he'd experience the moments when she didn't offer her own pressure back against his hand and it was killing him. He wanted nothing more than to see her bright green eyes looking back at him. He was tired of only seeing the stitched-up cuts and bruises that littered her face. Yet, he still thought that she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

It really hit him when he laid her limp body onto the gurney in the emergency room with the help of a few nurses. He realized that their last interaction before all of this had happened was her leaving him because he was being selfish, and he _hated_ himself for it. He made the decision then that he'd do everything in his power to make her understand just how much he loved her and just how wrong he knew he'd been.

He knew that he didn't have the right to feel sorry for himself. Jughead also new that he had no place to ask her to forgive him. He was wrong. God was he wrong. Her words echoed in his head over and over again. He knew that he chose to walk away, knowing what he could lose. He messed up and his heart wouldn't let him forget it. Jughead felt like he had no right to need her and it was killing him.

"Hey Jug?" A voice suddenly broke him from his stupor. Chic muttered softly, standing in the doorway of the room. "Can we talk?" Jughead gave him a small nod and kissed Betty's fingers once more before he let go of her hand. He stood, his back stiff, and pushed his jeans down his legs. He grabbed the bedside railing and leaned into kiss her forehead.

"What's up, man?" Jughead said as he entered the hallway.

"Any change?" Both the boys looked back at her.

"Nothing..." Jughead said. "I know she'll wake up. It's just a matter of when. The doctors said that her body's taking the time it needs to heal... when she's ready- she'll open her eyes."

Chic nodded before her sighed into the air. He'd been busy with the Serpents and the aftermath of Betty's rescue mission. He hadn't had much time to spend at the hospital and he felt guilty for it. But Jughead being there for her when he couldn't be, eased Chic's thoughts a little bit. His gaze fell from his little sister to his feet on the floor.

Chic couldn't lie. He wanted to pummel Jughead to a pulp when he'd found out. The man he'd called his best friend since childhood had just come clean and admitted his love for his little sister. Not to mention their secret relations. He wanted to lay his fist into Jughead's smug face, but he also knew what kind of man Jughead was. The pain that Chic had seen etched over Jughead face since he'd found out that the Ghoulies had taken Betty, would forever be inscribed into his brain. And frankly, it was punishment enough. Jughead had always taken on the task of helping to protect Betty- and they'd both failed at the one task they always vowed to maintain. He best friend was currently a fucking train wreck, Chic had never been the emotional type- but inside, his little sisters attacked was eating him alive and he was happy that she'd have Jughead by her side throughout her recovery. Because he just knew- as much as he loved her- he couldn't be that for her. He'd let her down, so he'd take the hit and he'd train the Serpents and they'd prepare for if something like this were to happen in the future.

"What is it?" Jughead muttered.

"The cops found the warehouse..." Chic said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one could hear them.

"Okay..." Jughead weaned. "What does that mean?"

"That's three men that they found dead Jughead..." Chic hissed, his voice clipped and quiet, so it didn't carry through the hallway. "Tallboy says he's taking care of it, but I-"

"If Tallboy says he's taking care of it then we have to trust him." Jughead placed a hand on Chic's shoulder. "This is why I didn't involve my dad. We tied up all the loose ends- as far as the cops know, we found Betty beaten on the side of the road. We didn't come up with some elaborate false story of how she got there because there's a very good chance their going to find her DNA at the warehouse..." Jughead muttered. "And when that happens, they'll link it back to the Ghoulies and we're in the clear."

"I just-" Chic began, glancing to Betty's sleeping body. "I don't want her to have to lie about it for the rest of her life..."

"I'll talk to her..." Jughead muttered. "We don't even know what she all remembers."

"So..." Chic began after a moment. "You guys are pretty serious then?"

"I mean..." Jughead started. "I guess, man- yeah." He shrugged. "Because after she wakes up- I'm not letting her out of my sight."

"Well that make two of us." Chic said in a half-laugh.

"Are you mad?" Jughead asked, treading on careful waters.

"I mean, I'm not thrilled about the idea, but I can't say I haven't given it some thought..." Chic mumbled into the space between them. "If I'd want anyone to be there for her, I'd want it to be you."

Jughead felt a little bit of the tension release from his chest. He held his hand out to bro-hug it out with Chic.

"Thanks man, it means a lot."

"One more thing, Jug."

"Yeah?" Jughead asked him, curiously. He watched as Chic reached deep into his pocket and deposited something into Jughead's palm.

It was The Book and Jughead couldn't believe his eyes.

"What?" He muttered. "The guys said they all watched you give it over to Kitty..."

"It was a decoy..." Chic shrugged.

"You-"

"You had your plan." Chic said. "I had mine."

"Wow, I just-" Jughead really didn't know what to say. Sure, Chic was his best friend, but it didn't mean he wasn't a dumbass. Jughead couldn't believe that he'd actually come up with an ingenious plan all on his own.

"Just go Jug." Chic told him. "Go be with your girl... We both know that you're the one she's gonna wanna see when she opens her eyes, but text we when she does."

Jughead gave him a half smile and turned to do just that before his brain stirred and he decided to turn back.

"Hey, Chic..."

"Yeah, man?" Chic asked as he turned back to Jughead with his hands in his jacket pockets.

"We might be best friends... But if you _ever_ put your fucking hands on her again, I won't hesitate to kick you in the balls."

With that Jughead turned back and didn't look as his best friend again. Chic's face could've probably been picked up off the floor, but he didn't dare say anything. Jughead hoped that he'd take it as a wakeup call. Chic left the hospital as he said he would. Checking in with the other Serpents as Jughead's words replayed in the back of his head all damn day.

That night, it was late but Jughead couldn't bring himself to sleep. Betty's nurse had offered him the in-room couch and brought him a pillow and a blanket, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her side. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with her and pull her battered body close- using his to heal hers in any way that he could. But he also didn't want to hurt her. He hated seeing her body so fragile and limp. Jughead laid his head next the hand he was holding on her bed. He'd almost allowed himself to drift into and oblivion of slumber when he thought he heard a groan from Betty's chest. He glanced up and saw her eyelids twitch.

"Jug?" He heard her croak out and he couldn't believe his ears. She squeezed his hand softly and Jughead jumped up from the chair he'd been planted in for what felt like an eternity.

"Betts..." He mumbled. He pushed some of the hair back from her face and watched as her eyes fluttered open to meet his. "Oh my God, baby!" He couldn't help the emotion that left his voice. He held both sides of her head in his hands and kissed her forehead, simpering in the contact against his lips.

"Wa- water..." She managed to mumble. Jughead grabbed the glass from the table and slipped the straw into her mouth. She took a few sips before relaxing again. Jughead jammed his fingers against the button on her bed to call the nurse and tell her that she was awake. "It hurts..." Betty groaned. Jughead wasn't sure how he managed to work out any of the words that she was saying, her voice quiet and strangled.

"Wha- What hurts, baby?" He whispered. He noticed the tears in her eyes then and leaned his upper body as close as he could get to hers, kissing her head once more.

"Everything... Everything hurts." She said through a quiet sob.

"Okay." Jughead said frantically. He was trying to remain calm, but he couldn't help himself. "We'll get you something for the pain." He offered her another drink. "Where the hell is the nurse?" He muttered into the air before jamming his finger against the call button again.

"Jug- Juggie..." She suddenly weaned.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Hey, hey-" he pulled back and met her face. "No, no... just rest, we'll talk later."

Just then the nurse entered the room. She pulled her stethoscope from her neck and instantly started accessing Betty. She put a quick light in each of her eyes and Jughead cringed as Betty flinched and whimpered. Jughead watched as the nurse had Betty follow her finger and asked things like if she knew what her name was, how old she was, and what year it was. When the nurse asked who Jughead was, his heart couldn't help but tinge as Betty mumbled the word _boyfriend_ from her lips. When she was done, the nurse asked Jughead to meet with him in the hallway.

"I'll call the doctor... I assume he'll want a CT scan of her brain. My best guess is that she's got a concussion and that's leading to her sensitivity..."

"Alright." Jughead nodded to her. "She's told me that it hurts- that everything hurts..." he tried to explain as he talked with his hands.

"Okay, I can definitely get her something for the pain..." Jughead nodded a thank you her. "Try not to yell, she probably can't hear very well because of her left ear drum being blown- so try and use short sentences or questions that can be answered yes or no."

"Um, okay that makes sense..." Jughead glanced back at Betty, she seemed to already be back to sleep and he sighed. The nurse placed a sympathetic hand on his arm and spoke genuinely with him. "She needs rest, she's healing. She's been through a lot, but I promise she'll be back to her usual self soon- it just takes a little time."

"I understand..."

"Get some rest." They nurse told him. "She'll be okay, and you'll need to be there for her- emotionally and physically and that means taking care of yourself." Jughead gave her a small genuine nod. She was right. "Is there anyone else we need to contact?"

"Um, I'll call her mother and brother in the morning- it's really late and I wouldn't want to wake them. She's back to sleeping already anyway, so I think I'll just sit with her for a while if that's okay?"

"Of course." The nurse gave him a sincere smile and nod. "Feel free to close the door if you need to- it can tend to get a little loud and chaotic out here."

"Okay, thank you."

"No problem, I'll see what I can do about getting her something for the pain."

The nurse left him then and Jughead looked at Betty from the hallway. He didn't know what had come over him, but his heart was so full of love for her and, although it terrified him, he hadn't been lying when he'd told Chic that she was never leaving his sight. Jughead couldn't believe what the last three months of his life had been. Never did he ever see himself falling so madly for her. Sure, he'd known her his whole life, but it'd never amount to the feelings that he'd developed for her in such little time. His feelings for her still terrified him, but he couldn't deny them anymore. Jughead couldn't believe that it'd been his name that she'd muttered when she woke. He knew in that moment that the love she had for him was so much more than he'd ever meant for and so much more than he expected.

Jughead heeded the nurse's advice. He picked himself up from the lean he had on its frame and shut the door. He changed out of his uncomfortable jeans and slipped on some sweats and a t-shirt- thankful that Chic had brought him a bag the previous day. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and let out a large sigh into the air. Jughead was folding his clothes when the nurse knocked softly and came in with pain medication for Betty. Jughead saw that she had a small bag of greenish yellow fluid and he was thankful that it was for her IV. It meant Betty wouldn't have to wake and struggle with pills. The nurse set up the solution after scanning both Betty's wristband and the medication. She silenced the heart rate monitors continuous beeping and told Jughead to call if they needed anything and then left again.

Jughead made sure to close all the curtains in the room. He knew the sun would be up soon and he didn't want it to hurt her sensitive eyes. He was exhausted and all he wanted was to touch her. He watched as her chest rose and fell, her eyelashes laid delicately against her cheeks. Jughead leaned in after a moment and kissed his lips against her hair. He moved to press his forehead to hers, feeling the exhale from her nostrils against his lips. He held himself there for a moment and she let out a soft groan, attempting to adjust herself in the bed. His hand met her face gently and Betty grabbed his arm with her hands and held it there. Neither one of them said anything, they just sat in the silence together for a moment.

She let out a groan after a while and Jughead pulled away, afraid he was hurting her.

"What is it?" He asked her softly. She didn't open her eyes and the scrunch in her forehead and nose told him that she was in pain. He wished more than anything that he could take it all away for her.

"H-hold me..." She said quietly and he thought his heart could've shattered.

"Baby... I don't want to hurt you." He told her. Her voice was full of exhaustion and she still didn't open her eyes to look at him.

"P... please Jug." She managed, she pulled his arm closer and snuggled against it.

Jughead surrendered to her. He pulled back the covers and climbed in carefully beside her. He adjusted himself and pulled her close. She attempted to lean on him, but she gained herself a sharp pain in her ribs and then another from her stomach and she hissed into the air.

"Betts..." Jughead tried to argue and pulled away.

"No!" Betty clipped. She rested her head against his chest the best that she could, Jughead avoided the tubing coming from her arm and any pressure to either of her sides. He couldn't let himself relax until he knew she was asleep again. He held her close like he'd been thinking about doing ever since she'd returned from surgery. Only then did he finally allow sleep to overtake his body. It'd been fighting him for hours, but now that he knew that she was going to be alright, he allowed the slumber to take over his limbs. He wanted to simper in the moment. He wanted to hold her until reality set back in and she would begin asking questions about what happened to her. Until Jughead had to call her mother and Chic in the morning. It could be their last night together, their souls mingling, before he'd finally allow Betty to decide their fate.

Would she forgive him?


	13. Chapter 13: Serpent King

"_No!" Betty plead. "Please stop!" She laid in the fetal position and lurched her body as men kicked at her stomach and ribs. Suddenly Junkie hauled her into a metal chair and bound her arms tight behind her. She was terrified. Tears hadn't stopped streaking down her face, and she hurt__everywhere.__She was screaming and pleading for them to stop. She was asking them what they wanted and begging for them to let her go. _

"Betts- Baby..." A voice began to soothe over her. "Baby stop!"

Betty's eyes opened then, Jughead was over her and holding her shaking body in his arms.

"Jug..." She gasped, clinging to him.

"It's okay. You're okay." he muttered smoothing a hand over her hair. "It was just a bad dream, you're okay..."

"I- I" Tears had raked her body and her sobs were uncontrollable. Jughead felt his heart shatter in his chest at her distress. He held her closer as she gripped onto him with all the strength that she had. She was shaking and her entire body had broken out in a sheen of sweat. "I was there, and they were kicking me and I-"

"Just go back to sleep baby..." Jughead told her. "I'm here, nothing is going to get you- you're safe now."

Jughead held her until her tears subsided and she passed out again from exhaustion. He couldn't imagine what she had gone through in that God-awful warehouse. The thing that the Ghoulies had done to her were unfathomable and the fact that she hadn't been able to escape it and was having nightmares in his arms, was ripping him apart.

He allowed a light sleep to take over him again. The sun was just beginning to rise, and he'd have to call Chic and Alice soon. But a little more time with her was all that he wanted, but he slept lightly to ensure that he could soothed any nightmares that decided they wanted to overtake her again.

"Mom..." Betty muttered once she saw her mother's face. Betty let out a chest riddled sob and Jughead glanced up at the door from his stance in front of the window. Alice rushed in once she saw her daughter sitting up in her bed. She wrapped Betty in a loose hug and even let out a few tears.

"How are you feeling?" Alice said after a moment. Sitting next to Betty on her bed.

"I'm sore, but it's better..." Betty nodded unable to meet her mother's eyes. "The doctor says I have a concussion, so the light hurts my eyes a bit."

"They uh-" Jughead spoke up suddenly. "They told me not to raise my voice with her. She can't hear very well, and she'll get frustrated easily." Jughead told them.

"You'll just have to be patient with me..." Betty said meekly.

"Of course." Alice muttered. She took a moment but then glanced back at Chic.

"Hi, big brother..." Betty said softly. Her throat was still scratchy, so her voice was a little hoarse.

"I'm glad you're okay, Goo." He nodded with his hands in his pockets.

"Well, I think I'm going to go find the doctor- see what the future looks like." Alice said aloud as she stood from Betty's bed. She leaned down and placed a kiss to Betty's hair, Betty's eyes closing at the contact. "Jughead..."

"Hmm?" Jughead glanced up.

"Will you stay with her?" Alice asked him wholeheartedly.

"Of course." He gave Alice a small smile and she gestured to Chic to come with her and they left the small room.

"Juggie?" Betty suddenly muttered after a moment. They'd both avoided speaking to each other since she'd become fully conscious and not under any effects of her surgery's anesthesia or her body's overall protest to opening her eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I- I know we have a lot to talk about..." She began. She met his eyes after a moment, and he walked closer to the bed. "But will you kiss me? I- I really just want you to kiss me." He seemed to let out a sigh before sitting next to her on the bed. She looked down at his hand pressed against the sheet and splayed her fingers in between his. He placed his free hand on her face and stroked a careful thumb over her bruised left cheekbone. Betty leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, letting the breath escape her lungs. Jughead lifted her head in his hand and leaned in to kiss her lips softly. They were far from okay, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't indulge in her proposals.

Betty let out a slight whimper when his lips softly pecked her healing ones. She swallowed any discomfort and let herself melt against him for a moment. Jughead pulled away after a quick moment but still held a hand to her injured face. Betty let out a straggled breath and Jughead thought she might cry, but she didn't let the tears fall.

"Betts..." Jughead whispered close. "I'm so sorry."

"What happened to me, Jug?" Betty asked him softly.

"What do you remember?" Jughead pulled his head away from hers.

"I- I remember Fangs picking me up from Pop's, we- we closed early and he- He had text messages from you..." She tried to tell him rationally but honestly knew she wasn't making any sense.

"No baby, he stole my phone while we were in Greendale picking up parts- I didn't send you those."

"Then why didn't you come?" She asked him breathlessly.

"Fangs must've taken your phone after he took you and texted me..."

"There- there was two men with him. One of them hurt me..." Her voice peaked at the end and Jughead held her hand for support. "He bashed my head against the window, and I- I must've passed out because when I woke up everything hurt- and I was tied up..." Jughead cringed as she spoke his worst fears. He'd been picturing in his head what they'd done to her, but it didn't make the truth her words any less painful.

"Did they- did they hit you?" He asked her breathlessly. Tears filled her eyes as she nodded slowly to him.

"This woman... she pulled my hair and slapped me a few times. The doctors told me that I have a broken rib and ruptured spleen and that's why I needed surgery... They must've done worse while I was passed out because I don't remember any of that."

"Oh, thank God..." Jughead kissed her knuckles, holding them against his lips.

"I'm so sorry Juggie..." She muttered after a moment.

"What? No..." Jughead clipped back at her softly. "What are you sorry for?"

"For- for leaving you..." She whispered, her voice hitching.

"No Betts, I'm sorry. I- I shouldn't have reacted like I did. I... I messed up bad baby and I'm so sorry." He watched as her lip quivered and she lifted her hand to swipe a tear away. He caught view of her bandage covered wrist and he knew that there were things she needed to understand, no matter how much he didn't want to tell her. "Betty... You know that they took you because of me, because of us- because of what we were doing, you know that right?"

"What?" She said through a half-gasp. "No." She shook her head profusely.

"Betts..."

"What are you saying, Jug?"

"Betty," Jughead started. "I know that I can't ask you to do this, but the police- the police found the warehouse where they were keeping you. The Serpents- they..."

"The gunshots?" Betty's voice stuttered.

"They found three men... and baby they are probably going to find your DNA at the warehouse."

"What are you saying, Jug?" She repeated, not fully understanding him.

"The boys, Tallboy and Sweet Pea- they are going to come and talk to you. They'll tell you what you need to say to the police, but baby if you don't want to- I can't ask you to do that."

"I- I don't..." She stuttered. He was throwing so much information at her and she had no time to process any of it.

"I'm so sorry that I got you wrapped into all of this..." He muttered regretfully.

"Jug-"

"I... we... If we hadn't been sneaking around you-" He tried to speak but he couldn't seem to find the right words. Betty grabbed his face then and lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"No..." She shook her head. Disbelief seemed to fill her glazy eyes. "I need you Juggie..." She muttered it so quiet that Jughead almost hadn't heard her. Emotion ripped through his heart when he saw the hurt in her eyes staring back at him. It was the pain and hurt that had filled them the night she'd decided to leave him. The night he'd been so horrible to her. The night she'd told him that she loved him.

"_I- I've fallen in love with you." _

The sob escaped her after she muttered the seemingly simple words. She seemed to collapse against him, crying and shaking. Jughead's soul could've shattered. This is not how he wanted this conversation to go. He held her close and shushed her quiet sobs.

Jughead didn't want to push her away anymore. He knew it was only hurting the both of them and he honestly couldn't imagine this ending in a way that left the two of them apart. So, he decided to take the plunge. As scared as he was of the impending risk of desperation and desolation that could swallow him up, Jughead took the dive.

"_I love you too..." _

Betty pulled back then. She sniffled and stopped her tears for a moment. She gripped his hand with both of hers and looked at him.

"What?" She muttered breathlessly. He looked at her then. Their eyes met and hers instantly filled with the view of his glazy. He kissed her knuckles again as a single one of his tears fell onto her skin. "Juggie..."

"Imagining you... hurt and helpless- it ruined me. I felt so powerless. When Chic- when Chic showed me the picture that they took of you- the things they did to you, I didn't think it was real. I thought that there was no way..." He shook his head. "I- I knew I had to find you. I didn't know if you would even forgive me for what I did, but I didn't care... I knew that I had to admit it to myself." He trailed on through strangled breath. "I love you."

"You do?" She muttered. She held his face in her hands as he nodded against them. Betty let out a sound of relief, her breath hitching and caused a sound to escape her throat. She pulled him closer to her- gripping and pulling at his t-shirt. Betty held him close, Jughead wrapping his arms around her- still careful of her injuries. She thought that there was no way she was still asleep, but maybe possibly was dreaming. "Can you tell me again?"

"I love you, Betts..." She kissed him then. Their lips crashed together without a care for her battered lips. She kissed him hard and swift, placing multiple short kisses against his mouth. She smiled against his lips.

"I love you, too."

Later that night, Betty sat alone in her room. Jughead had left to check on the Serpents and his father. Her mother and Chic had left to gather some of Betty's things from her trailer. The doctors had expected to keep her a few more days, much to everyone's dismay. Nickoli, one of the Serpents, had stayed outside of her room while the boys were away. They'd be stupid to, but just in case the Ghoulies decided that they had unfinished business. Jughead had talked her into therapy after she was discharged, and she knew that Tallboy and Sweet Pea would come by the following day to talk to her about everything that had gone down in the warehouse. So far, no cops but she also knew that it wouldn't be long for that either.

She ate some cherry jello and tried to relax. At least some of her pain had subsided thanks to her amazing nurses. Betty tried to remember as much as she could from the whirlwind of the last forty-eight hours, as much as she didn't want to. Her head was a mess, quite literally. The doctors didn't expect her face to scar but she still had some gnarly scratches and stitches and a pretty nice black eye. She thought back at her eventful day of poking and prodding after Jughead's revelation of love.

…...

"I don't know, I feel like it's bad..." Betty muttered into her lap. The nurses had given her a handheld mirror, but she was too scared to look at herself. Jughead watched as the nurses tried to persuade her without being too pushy. He had a thumbnail in his mouth and was standing next to the window. "I... I don't want to look." She closed her eyes tightly and pushed the mirror away, handing it back the nurse. The nurse nodded, attempting to hide any disappointment on her face. Jughead watched as Betty's eyes filled with guilt, one of her flaws was the way she felt so passionately for others.

"Can-" Jughead stepped forward and spoke. Betty's eyes shot over to him as the nurse glanced at his gentle voice. "Can I see that?" He ushered for the mirror with his hand. The nurse handed it to him, and he patted the back of it against his palm. "Can you guys give us a minute?" The nurses nodded with gentle smiles before leaving the room.

Jughead sat against the edge of the bed and took a moment before he nudged her chin up with his knuckle. She was balling her hands in her lap, but she looked up at him and wet her bottom lip.

"Goo..." He let out with a gentle teasing tone. "Talk to me."

"I-" Betty shrugged and gave in. "I'm scared, Juggie."

"Baby-" He stroked his thumb over her cheek and searched her eyes. "It's just a mirror."

"But, I-" she stuttered. "Is it bad? Like tell me, seriously."

"You have some bumps and bruises..." Jughead told her calmly. "Some stiches up here," He stroked her forehead lightly with the pad of his thumb. "And here." He stroked her hair where her head had hit the window. "And a black eye."

Betty winced and shook her head away from his hand. She wasn't sure why she was so afraid to see herself. The swelling in her eye had finally gone down and she see clearly. Obviously, she knew it was a stupid fear but seeing her face- the damage the Ghoulies had done- it would only make everything all the more real and she didn't want to bare that. As much as Jughead had been with her every step of the way, the thought of knowing exactly what she looked like- what Jughead saw- it terrified her. She knew she wouldn't want him to see her like that- but it was too late.

"Betty, it's okay..." He held her hand in his and grabbed her face with his other. "You're okay, you're here with me- they can't hurt you anymore."

"It's not that Jug-" She tried to explain. "It's just- I... If I know what I look like, I can't imagine that everything is normal, and you still think I'm beautiful and sexy and this-"

"You know you're being ridiculous right?" Jughead said trying to hide the humor in his voice but failing. "Baby, I _do_ still think you're beautiful..." He stroked her cheek with his thumb once more. "And sexy." He winked at her and granted himself a small grin from her lips.

"Jug, I'm in a hospital gown with a battered-up face and I smell like hand sanitizer..." She said with a small grunt and the roll of her eyes. The scent of rubbing alcohol and antiseptic had invaded her senses and wouldn't leave.

"So..." Jughead shrugged. "We can get you some clothes from home and a shower-" He laughed. "I _love_ you, none of that matters to me." He took her face in both of his hands. "What matters to me is that you're okay and you're here with me."

"Okay..." She muttered after a few moments. He pulled her face in gently and placed a small kiss to her lips. Her hands gripped his forearms as she closed her eyes.

Jughead pulled away after a moment and picked up the handheld mirror once more. He handed it to her and watched as she gripped the handle and lifted it up to her eye level. He didn't notice the shudder that seemed to flutter through her skin and her eyes became glazy.

"They'll heal, baby." Jughead told her calmly. "Remember what the doctors said- you've just got to give it some time."

"I know." She stuttered. She wiped her semi-formed tears away and couldn't seem to look into his eyes.

"Betts..." Jughead muttered. "Look at me, baby." She sniffled and let out a half-scoff before glancing into his eyes. "You're gonna be okay." Betty seemed to shake her head in relief and let out a sigh before she grabbed his face and kissed him. She hummed against his lips and allowed herself to melt against him for a moment.

"Thank you for being here." She muttered against his lips.

"Always."

Betty honestly couldn't believe everything they'd gone through. She half expected everyone, Jughead included, to treat and handle her like broken glass. But oddly enough, they weren't. Alice was too wrapped up in the fact that her baby girl was hurt, to care too much about the revelation of Jughead and Betty being _a thing_. Jughead had told Betty that he'd told Chic about them in the heat of their search to find her. Chic might've seemed fine, but he was also avoiding her. He only came in when their mother did, and he'd seemingly taken on some new major responsibility with the Serpents- using it as an excuse for everything.

Perhaps he felt guilty, she wasn't sure why, but something told her that he wasn't upset with her- but upset with himself. Maybe because he allowed it to happen. Maybe because there was nothing he could do to stop it. Her being kidnapped and held against her will by the Ghoulies had opened his eyes and made him realize just how important his baby sister is and all of the years that he'd been a complete ass were beginning to catch up with him.

"Betts..." Jughead muttered from the doorway, breaking Betty out of her mental stupor. He carried in her cheer bag, filled with some of her clothes from home and some better smelling body wash. She adjusted in her bed and her face lightened at the sight of him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She hummed. He leaned in to peck her lips and she smiled against them.

"Okay, so um-" Jughead began. He swiped the pad of his thumb over his mouth and shoved his other hand in his pocket and backed away from her bed. "I uh- I brought someone back with me."

"Jug?" Betty questioned him. She reached out a hand to get him to come back to her. She wanted his touch and his love. He continued to walk away from her and made his back over to the door before opening it again. "Ethel?"

"Hi, Betty." Ethel spoke meekly as she made her way into the room. "I- I'll go if you don't want me here... I just wanted to make sure that you're okay." Betty pushed herself up in her bed with a slight wince and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, no." She couldn't hide the surprise that covered her face. "I- I'm just a little surprised, that's all."

"How are you?" Ethel asked softly. Betty wanted to answer her honestly. But all of the images that popped in her head weren't good ones and as much as she knew she wasn't to blame, the only thing that came along with Ethel's face was memories of the Ghoulies holding her against her will.

"Wait- What are you doing here?" Betty clipped. Her head turned to Jughead. "Why did you bring her here?"

"Betts..." Jughead eased. He could sense the sudden tension in the room and noticed it building in her shoulders.

"Jughead-" Ethel began.

"I-" Jughead interrupted. "I found her. I- the Serpents are going to place her under protection."

"I didn't want to agree." Ethel spoke. "You guys don't owe me anything-"

"She has no family, Betts..." Jughead told her. Betty glanced to her knotted hands in her lap. Ethel had saved her, the least the Serpents could do is offer her protection from those that she'd double crossed. Although Betty's brain was clouded with pain medication and confusion, she didn't want to argue. She knew that Jughead's heart was in a good place.

"Thank you." Betty looked up at Ethel and spoke simply. "You didn't have to do what you did for me and I'm grateful." She nodded genuinely. "The Serpents... We'll take care of you Ethel, we at least owe you that-"

"No." Ethel spoke. "You guys don't _owe_ me anything." Ethel stepped closer to her in the bed. "I am so sorry for what happened to you Betty." She sat next to the small blonde on the bed.

"I know." Betty nodded. "Thank you for getting me out." Betty gave her a soft smile.

"Of course." Ethel spoke softly. "Can I hug you?" Ethel said with a half laugh. Betty chuckled with her and nodded as the girls joined together in a hug. Ethel held her arms loosely around Betty's body and simpered in the feel of her hopeful newfound friend.

Betty pulled away and suddenly looked at Jughead.

"Jug..." Betty spoke briskly and Jughead raised his eyebrows. "You gotta get her out of here, it's too dangerous-"

"I know, I-"

"I- I wanted to see you," Ethel spoke softly. "I needed to make sure that you were okay and apologize..."

"Ethel, you don't have to apologize for anything-" Betty spoke genuinely and put a gentle hand on Ethel's arm. "But seriously, you need to get out of here. The Serpents can keep you somewhere safe, they'll take care of you and we'll figure something out- but you have to go!" Like clockwork, a light knock ricocheted on the door and Chic peeked his head in.

"Hey Jug, it's about time we get going..." Chic look from Jughead to Ethel and gave Betty a gentle smile. Ethel seemed to nod before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Okay..."

"I'll come see you," Betty grabbed her arm again. "I promise." Ethel seemed to nod and gently smiled at Betty, standing from the bed and making her way back toward the door. "Hey Jug?" Betty spoke softly and Jughead stepped closer to her.

"Yeah, baby?" Jughead stroked the knuckle of his finger gently against her cheek. Betty closed her eyes and hummed against the soft contact.

"Do you think you could take Ethel back?" Jughead raised his eyebrows and gave her a confused look. "I wanna talk to my brother..." She muttered.

"You sure?" Jughead asked her softly.

"Yeah." She smiled and nodded. Jughead leaned down to kiss her softly before he made his way to the door. "I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay." She readjusted herself in the bed and nodded with a smile to him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said with almost a snickering smile.

"Goo?" Chic peered in the room soon after Jughead left. "What's going on?" He shut the door behind him and looked at his sister with concern.

"I want to join the Serpents..." Betty began. Chic went to open his mouth again Betty began to speak again before he could get a word in. "And before you try to argue or tell me no... I'm not going to let you." Betty knew that her brother would argue, and she wasn't sure why she suddenly wanted to be a bigger part of the gang she'd grown to basically despise, but perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they were partly responsible for what had happened to her and, despite growing up within its ranks, she had no way to defend herself. "Induct me into the Serpents."

"Magoo? Are you crazy! I'm not going to do that."

"You have to Chic! There's no way that Jughead is going to let it happen." Betty tried to rationalize with him.

"You don't even have the right to ask me that!" Chic attempted not to yell back.

"Yes, I do!" Betty yelled back. "I need protection and I want to be more involved."

"No..."

"It's my choice! What I risk and for whom... And I want this for myself!" She was almost screaming as her monitor started to beep, recognizing that her pulse and blood pressure were too high. She was getting too angry.

"You'll get hurt..." Chic tried to tell her. His voice was meek, with no power. She'd never seen this side of her brother and it almost hurt her to watch the battle taking place within his brain.

"What is it?" Betty asked him. Her tone was clipped and filled with sarcasm. "Do you feel guilty or something?" She was so angry with him. He seemed to shake his head at her and the look in his eyes was filled with something she hadn't seen before. He wasn't used to this tone from her and if he could he'd probably hit her.

"Watch it Magoo..."

"Because you should!" She yelled back at him. Her eyes began to fill with tears as a wave of emotion came over her. "Don't you get it!?" Betty sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I already got hurt. Look at me..."

"Betty, I am sorry!" Chic jumped at her and Betty was exasperated. "I am sorry that you got hurt! I know that it's my fault, okay!? And I am beating myself up for it..." He stepped away again and turned from her- running a hand over his mouth in frustration.

"I know..." Betty said meekly. "I know you are..."

"What?" Chic muttered incredulously.

"You can barely look at me!" Betty told him; her voice pitched. "You know I don't do this Chic... I would never ask you for anything..." Her voice was traced with waves of emotion. "But please, please do this for me..."

Chic gazed out the window and watched as light snow fell over the city. He sniffled and ran a hand over his mouth once more. It was the first snowfall of the season and the light dusting glistened against the bright lights from the hospital. It was utterly beautiful, just like his baby sister. He'd hurt her, he'd failed as a brother to protect her, and it was eating him alive. Hell, he'd turn into a smushy gush and give in to whatever she wanted if it meant she would forgive him for failing her. But allowing her to become a serpent... He couldn't wrap his head around why she would even want to do such a thing.

_**One Month Later**_

A loud whistle howled through the wind. The Serpents were together in the Wyrm for a gathering celebrating their official clearing in the authority's investigation of the Ghoulies and what everyone was calling, "The Warehouse Bloodbath." The police did end up finding Betty's blood at the scene, but they never investigated any further than what the police new as fact. She was brought to the hospital after being found on a rural side street by concerned Samaritans. Betty did hand over Fang's name to authority's as per Tallboy and Sweet Pea's advice. But as of now, the Ghoulie's were on the run.

"Listen up!" FP yelled over the room. He stood on the small stage and lights beamed down on him. Betty sat in a chair at one of the tables and Jughead met beside her. She looked up at him and he looked down at her with happy eyes and skimmed the pad of his thumb over her still healing left eyebrow. The music that was lost around them halted to a stop and the mingling voices quieted in stereo. "Some sixty years ago, the very first Serpent meeting took place in this very room." FP spoke over the crowd. "The paint was a different color and the floors were definitely less dirty." The crowd echoed with laughter over him. "So, it makes sense that this is where we gather now... Where I say my goodbye- Jughead would you step up here son?"

Jughead looked at his father suddenly and had uneasy eyes. He looked to Chic and then back down at Betty who looked up at him and nudged her head.

"Come on, boy."

"What are you doing?" Jughead whispered to his dad as he came up on the stage.

"Something I should've done a long time ago." FP whispered back.

"It's no secret that I've been MIA..." FP spoke loudly, slapping a hand over Jughead's leather clad shoulder. "I haven't been reliable... and I let one of our own," FP looked at Betty in the crowd and Jughead's eyes followed. "Get hurt." Betty had sad eyes as she nodded to the mirrored men staring back at her. "I'm retiring from the Serpents." FP's voice rose once more. The group erupted with voices and everybody looked from person to person. "Woah, woah, woah-" FP attempted to calm everyone. "My boy," He gestured to Jughead. "My boy has never stopped fighting for this crew." FP turned to Jughead and took both of his lapels in his hands. "That's why, I am giving you the mantel." The crowd erupted with cheers and clapping as Jughead just looked at his father. Jughead had always known he'd had power, but this was making it official and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

"Now..." FP gestured to Chic who was right in front of the small stage. "As your first official duty as Serpent King..." Chic handed FP a black leather jacket. Betty watched them all with uneasy eyes and readjusted herself in her seat. Jughead looked at his father's face as FP gripped the collar of the jacket in his hands.

"Dad, no..." Jughead whispered.

"I think you know what to do with this..." FP muttered quiet enough for only the two of them to hear. "Come on... take it." Jughead took the jacket from his father and glanced back at his face. The group began to cheer again, and FP left the stage after one last shoulder grasp to Jughead.

"Alright, alright-" Jughead quieted down the crowd once more. "All I can say is," Jughead glanced to his father on the floor below him. "I love you dad, it's an honor." FP nodded to his son in admiration.

"Some of you..." Jughead spoke loudly. "Some of you are going to think this is the end." Jughead said. "But the Serpents will not die out." The crowd began to clap once more. "Not on my watch." Jughead glanced to Betty. She'd handled the whole tumble track of the kidnapping like a champ. Never holding any of the Serpents at fault and never placing blame on anyone within the circle. She'd handled it like a true and loyal Serpent, regardless of her and Jughead's incessant arguing about her become an inducted member of the Southside Serpents.

"This is going to someone who has proved their loyalty..." Jughead held up the leather jacket to the group and hoots and hollers began to fill the small room. "Someone that we- as a family, have failed."

She wasn't sure when it clicked in her mind that he was talking about her, but Betty just looked at him with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" She mouthed at him silently.

"Betts... Will you join me up here please?" Betty stood and made her way to the small stage. Jughead reached out his hand for her and she took it, stepping up on the stage. She just gawked at him with eyes, unable to say anything. He held the jacket out for her to slip her arms into. Betty shrugged it over her shoulders and pulled her hair out from under the collar. She turned back to Jughead and looked at him incredulously as the crowd cheered again around them. She looked out at the group and balled her hands in front of her. A smile grew in her cheeks and she jumped into Jughead's arms, hugging him tight. Her left leg went up behind her and she squeezed him harder.

"Thank you!" She pulled back and looked at him. Jughead was smiling with her.

"I still don't know how I feel about this, but I guess it's official now." Jughead told her. "You deserve it Betts."

"Did Chic put you up to this?" She quizzed him as everyone around them began to mingle again, the attention being taken off the two of them.

"Between him and you're incessant nagging," Jughead teased. "I didn't stand a chance, did I?"

"No..." Betty simpered. "But it's kind of cute that you thought so." She giggled and leaned in to kiss his lips.

"I love you..." Jughead muttered as they pulled away.

"I love you too." Betty leaned in again and took his lips in a harsh kiss.

She wasn't entirely sure what the future held for the two of them, but she knew that they loved each other and the present felt pretty great.


End file.
